Run
by papayann
Summary: After Leila dies, Matthew and Guy are left to figure out how the fit into one another's lives. Others around them try to do the same as Nergal screws with everyone's lives... and the general chaos in the camp isn't helping.
1. Pause

**NOTE: This was formerly under the username nariko.hoshi, but sadly, that account got hacked in to. I'm still the same person, though, just to clarify. The Hoshi account will be deleted as soon as I transfer all my stories (which is a total pain), so you know!**

**A/N:** hiya everyone! this is my 1st story, so nervous... heh. only warning is that shounen-ai is very very implied... ahem, blatantly stated. soooo... don't like, don't read.

once you're finished, be kind and R&R plz. I need some feedback, it is my 1st after all!

... and that's it, enjoy the story

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Earlier that day, Matthew had been so carefree. Happily laughing, stealing, dancing away from opponent's swords. It was the best he had felt in ages, and definitely the best he had ever fought. He knew who he owed that to- Guy. Guy continued to challenge him, in an attempt to get that oath paper he had signed. And he kept on losing- Matthew would always manage to come up with some trick to make sure he won. And as a result of all the fighting, both Matthew and Guy's skills were improving.

The best he had felt in ages. Pah, how misleading.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Matthew stared at a flower intently, an uncharacteristically grave look on his face. His eyes were red and puffy, and dried tear tracks were visible on his cheeks. His cloak was rumpled, scrunched up in the places where he had grabbed it, hard, to wrap around himself as he cried.

Matthew was thinking. Deeply. About things that he hadn't planned on ever thinking about, when Leila was still alive and joyful, waiting for him in her own way.

But now, the grieving spy was forced to confront these thoughts. Leila had died that day. Matthew had come out into this forest to bury his Leila. And he had stayed here, not ready to face the others. Or, specifically, the other.

Matthew was thinking about love. Which was only natural, after a loved one died. But his thoughts had added a twist to the normal grieving-for-a-loved-one thoughts. Cruel thoughts.

He wasn't thinking _only_ of Leila. He was thinking of someone else as well. And that really bothered Matthew. His thoughts were _not_ supposed to add a twist.

He had been in denial for a long time. It was an impossibly unfair situation. He figured he must have done something awful in a past life.

He couldn't fall in love with two people at once. He couldn't be in love with a man, he was in love with a woman! That man could _defiantly_ not be his best friend. That man couldn't be Guy, the annoying Sacaen myrmidon, who trusted Matthew never to hurt him or do anything wrong, who trusted him completely to be his friend no matter what. _Love_ would get in the way of that.

Perfectly logical and reasonable denial speech to repeat to himself whenever he needed to deny. Too bad none of it was true. Who had ever heard of being able to reason yourself out of love?

Matthew sighed. Now that Leila was gone, he didn't know what to do. He wasn't ready to move on yet, but eventually, with no Leila to keep his resolution not to love Guy strong… who knew. But he could NOT spoil their friendship. It was too important.

He had never let himself get as far as imagining telling Guy what he felt. Leila was different… their relationship had been based mostly on mutual feelings. But Guy was not the sort to read people. So there was the risk of rejection- and that terrified Matthew.

He continued the stare at the flower, but he now looked imploring, as if hoping that the flower would pipe up and tell him what to do.

Matthew was confident. He hated to hesitate. Whenever he paused (like now) everything would catch up to him. It was like he was always running from something, whether it was good or bad, and when he stopped, his pursuer would catch him and hold him, forcing him to think. It worked for Matthew- he didn't stop often, and he loved to take life as it came, taking nothing too seriously. Always fun, no matter what the situation.

So now, he wanted to get up, move, do _something_. Occupy himself for long enough and his heart would heal, and next time he slowed he would find himself ready to move on to Guy. Just plow ahead, he decided. Don't look back, don't stop. Keep going.

Without bothering to smooth his cloak or conceal the evidence of his crying, the Ostian got up. Without one glance back at the clearing where Leila lay buried, he headed back towards the camp.

Once he got there, he walked straight through, ignoring all the looks of pity and attempts at sympathy flying his way. He had to take his mind off of Leila.

He walked up to his shared tent, where Guy was obsessively polishing his sword. Matthew touched Guy's shoulder softly, and Guy whipped around to face him, braid almost whacking Matthew's nose. When he saw who it was, he relaxed, though a worried look was in his eyes. He tilted his head as he looked at Matthew, trying to see what Matthew needed. The blond just stood there, looking at Guy's sword.

Having reached a decision, Guy stood up and touched Matthew's wrist. Matthew finally looked Guy in the eye, angling his head down a bit. Guy just pulled him over and gave him a quick, reassuring hug, releasing him quickly and blushing furiously. Matthew's expression softened. Then, he gestured vaguely at the sword.

"Could we spar?" he asked lightly.

Guy smiled, and Matthew relaxed as Guy went to grab his sword and Matthew's.

Just keep occupied, thought Matthew to himself, almost smiling.

"Ah… wait just a second," he said slowly. Guy paused, slightly puzzled, as Matthew went in to their tent.

When Matthew re-emerged from the tent, he looked normal to anyone who didn't know him well. Guy was the only one who noticed how conflicted the thief really was.

Run, run run, as fast as you can, away from all the pain.

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Hello again, hope you liked! so, I say again, review please, as you've now read the story. give me feedback!

oh, and tell me: to continue or not to continue? I was thinking that I could do another chappie more Guy-centric, then eventually get them together... or not. Give me guidance! lol. I may be crazy oO

**R E V I E W**


	2. When?

A/N: hello my lovely readers (though only one of you has reviewed… I sincerely hope I don't only have one reader). That is depressing. Maybe I'm just impatient oO… point being, plz review, please please please! I'd love you forever. And ever. It's always nice to know someone loves ya, right?

Oh god, sorry. I ramble. Here is the story!

Oh, wait, I just remembered… in the last chapter, I marked something as (1) and then didn't explain it. I'm so sorry! I forgot!

is when Guy is furiously polishing his sword. He's doing this to distract himself from Matthew, cause he thinks that he shouldn't be so concerned about him (little does he know that he's in love… hehehe). So ya, I forgot that.

**thank you, gatewalker, for pointing out a couple of errors (such as calling Sain Seth... where was my brain when i typed that? oO). I've fixed them and reposted this chapter.**

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**1 week later**

Guy sighed as he gazed at his tentmate's sleeping form on the bedroll opposite him. Matthew drove him crazy. He had been acting so normal lately. Not once had Guy caught him grieving in any way. Only tiny slips, when his eyes would lose his playful look and turn dull, showed that anything had changed. And only Guy ever noticed these slips. He was beginning to wonder if he was just imagining them.

Most people just accepted Matthew's very typically Matthew behavior. Then again, not many people knew about Leila. But even those who did didn't seem bothered by the fact that the spy seemed unaffected by her death. Only that one time, when he came back from burying her, red eyed and dirty, did anyone seem concerned.

But Guy was. So was Lady Lyndis. The two of them knew that people could act normal while grieving. They also knew how that way of experiencing grief was the worst way. Keeping grief bottled up inside only worked for a very limited amount of time. It would inevitably break free, shatter your bottle. And that hurt even more than just letting the grief run its course.

Leila was murdered only a week ago. She had been his _love_. You didn't just get over that in a week. That left only one option: Matthew was indeed bottling. Lyn and Guy wanted to stop him from bottling, spare him the pain that both of them had suffered.

Guy had lost his mother, and Lyn had lost both her parents. Each of them had bottled, immediately setting out to occupy themselves to prevent them from thinking about their losses. Lyn had fervently pursued and hunted bandits, then joined up with this company. She hadn't had time to grieve. Then one day, not too long ago, Lyn's grief caught up. She had stayed in her tent for 2 whole days, refusing to come out. The only people who saw her like that were Guy and Florina. Afterwards, Guy and Lyn had bonded to become the friends that they now were.

Guy had done something similar- he had set out to become the greatest swordsman in all of Sacae. When _he_ had been hit by his grief, he had stopped eating and almost died (this was when he first met Matthew). Matthew…

Guy shifted to a more comfortable position, turning his thoughts back to the matter at hand. He and Lyn had been talking more than ever over the past week. About Matthew, and how to help him. Though the Lady Lyndis wasn't exactly friends with the thief, she was friends with Guy, and she applied the principle 'if he's a friend of yours, he's a friend of mine' to Matthew- she knew how much the thief meant to Guy (he had confessed his worry that he wasn't exactly _straight_ to her). Her caring nature made her want to help Matthew.

So they had talked and talked, and come up with endless scenarios about how Guy could get Matthew to open up. But each had been dismissed- unfortunately, their friendship wasn't based on talking (or at least, not _real_ talking. Only the kind that involved yelling at each other). And Matthew was hard to find these days. He was always doing something. Always. Sparring, stealing from their companions, _running_ from said companions, fighting, or even, as a last resort, household-type stuff- assisting Lowen in the kitchen, grooming other's horses, cleaning up their tent.

Everybody said that he was just energetic because of the warm weather. Pfft. _What warm weather!_ Guy wanted to shout at them, _he just lost the LOVE OF HIS **LIFE**! You stupid, idiotic, self absorbed twits!_ See? Matthew made him crazy.

Guy wanted to protect Matthew. Why? He'd only recently figured it out. He was in lo-… _attracted_ to the thief. Guy had never really had a chance to figure out his sexuality, but thanks to Matthew, he knew he was gay. What a stupid time to realize it, too. Just before Leila died. Guy had felt so guilty when, for a brief moment, he was almost glad that Leila had died- now he had Matthew all to himself. Luckily, that horrible thought went away as quickly as it had came. It hurt him to see his friend like this.

Matthew stirred, causing Guy to snap out of his reverie. Guy sat up and perched on the edge of his bedroll, shifting closer to Matthew, laying a hand gently on his shoulder. Matthew blinked slowly. Guy tried to be around when he woke up, always. His guard was down just after he woke up, and Guy used that to gage how close he was to breaking down. Today, his eyes and face showed a weary and utterly sorrowful expression.

Guy's heart wrenched; he hated seeing his lo… _friend_ in pain. _Not love, not love, just friend, now's really not the time, he's grieving and all I can do is moon over him? _Guy was disgusted at himself.

He realized that his hand was still on Matthew's shoulder. As soon as he (reluctantly) removed his hand, Matthew blinked again, then put on his really-everything-is-ok-I'm-just-fine face. Guy forced back a grimace- he _hated_ that face.

Matthew yawned widely, waking up slower than usual. Guy was concerned- normally Matthew woke up so fast, he himself felt stupid and slow by comparison. _Matthew must really be drained, _though Guy worriedly.

Matthew stretched, causing his hand to brush across Guy's thigh. Guy was too busy trying to hide his blush to notice that Matthew too was blushing.

"S-so," started Guy, cursing his stutter, "How are you?"

"Just peachy," replied the thief cheerily, bouncing off his bedroll. Then he paused, nose wrinkled up in disgust. "Did I just say _peachy_?" he asked incredulously, shaking his head. "Wow, Serra is finally rubbing off on me. Shit."

Guy snickered, depression forgotten for the moment. "Heh. Be sure to tell her, she'll be delighted."

"Huh. You know, I haven't gotten her a birthday present yet. That's next Wednesday, I think. Think the rubbing off will do?" asked Matthew, completely serious. Serra was like that.

"No," replied Guy shortly. "Give her a couple flowers, too."

Matthew just looked thoughtful.

Now that there was time to think, Guy remembered his mission of getting Matthew to open up. _Hmph. He's never gonna do that. He'll just bottle and block and run. What kind of friend am I? Letting him do this to himself?_ Guy's bitter thoughts were only too true.

Really though, it was impossible to bring it up. Matthew wasn't much for deep meaningful conversations. That was not his style. Guy sighed gustily, forgetting that the spy was still in the tent with him.

Said thief was staring at him curiously. The thoughtful look was gone, replaced by a brooding expression. Guy snapped back to the present, adjusting his facial expression until it was mildly amused looking. Or, at least, Guy hoped so.

"In answer to your earlier question," continued Guy, as if nothing had happened, "You know Sacaens never lie. You defiantly said 'Peachy' and Serra is obviously rubbing off on you."

Matthew smirked. "Looks like Eliwood is rubbing off on _you_. Long brooding silences?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I-I…" Guy sighed, abandoning the attempt to explain himself. Instead, he just shrugged.

Matthew, still smirking slightly, turned around to grab some fresh(er) clothes. He stripped quickly (it was _cold_) and put them on. Guy turned away for this. Though they changed in front of each other every day, Guy always turned red and stuttered, and Matthew always flushed lightly. It was almost a routine.

"So," asked Matthew while changing, "What's an the agenda today? Any battles? And I mean real ones, not those matches we always have- you know, the ones where I win _every_ time."

He was grinning. Guy just knew it. _Grr_… the matches were a sore spot.

Guy twitched, but otherwise gave no indication that he had heard the second half of Matthew's question. He was almost used to those remarks now.

"I d-don't know," said Guy (he was busy trying not to look at Matthew's body. _Why was he taking so long?_ Was he doing it on purpose?)

"tch-tch-tch," called Matthew, finally done changing. He threw a laughing look over his shoulder at Guy. "Bad Guy. Don't you pay attention to our darling tactician's orders?" He waggled a finger at Guy reprovingly.

"Um…" Guy fiddled with his braid nervously. Then he focused of the finger being waved at him. "h-HEY!" shouted Guy suddenly. Matthew jumped at the volume of the shout, but then grinned, stepping back tauntingly. "That's my HEADBAND!" he took off after the grinning thief.

Lyn and Wil, sitting on a log nearby, laughed at the sight. They watched Guy chase Matthew madly all around the camp, effectively waking everyone up. Then, a very angry Hector (who was _not_ a morning person) came out of his tent in only light pajama shorts and started chasing both of them, yelling and cursing like mad.

Lyn giggled, and Wil even stopped his chatter to laugh and stare (though mostly laugh) as Eliwood rushed out of his tent half-dressed to tackle Hector, therefore effectively stopping the temperamental axeweilder.

As the camp gradually quieted down (Matthew had finally tripped over Sain, who, for some reason, was sleeping outside under a tree, allowing Guy to take his headband back) Guy thought over breakfast some more.

_When will he break?_ Guy only wished he knew the answer.

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Well? Is it good or bad? Give me suggestions. Or comments. General feedback. Hell, even criticism would be very very welcome. Please review? Need to know how everybody likes it.

I promise, next chapter is less of the reflecting stuff. Much less. More dialogue and action and humor. All good. You'll like it! So review, I would love some more motivation!


	3. Tea without Tea?

Okay. This chapter isn't completely necessary, but I want some help. I need to get better at writing Guy and Lyn, or at least I think so. So I wrote this chapter. If you're please read it, then **review and tell me how I did writing Guy and Lyn** I'd be really, really grateful Plus, it's good for you- you can help me improve my writing abilities and then read the next chapter and think 'wow, this is so well-written! I'm so happy I gave that review in, she sucked before!' or something equally cheesy. So yeah... go read!

**7:00pm, Tuesday**

Matthew was in a deep sleep, and had been since 4:00. Deep sleep complete with snoring, grunting, moaning, sleep talk, and a variety of other noises commonly produced in sleep. Guy, as a result, couldn't get to sleep.

Guy groaned, then rolled closed to the edge of his bedroll. Sitting there for a moment he stretched and rubbed his eyes. He stood up slowly, careful not to wake his exhausted tent mate. Straightening his clothes, he opened the tent flap and slipped outside.

It was still pretty early- Guy had tried to fall asleep for lack of anything better to do. But most of their company was still awake.

Eliwood, Hector, and Gwyneth (the tactician) were sitting by the fire in the middle of their campground, undoubtedly discussing tactics and plans. Rath was teaching Wil to ride a horse, and Wil was currently sitting on the ground, an expression of pain evident on his face. Guy scanned the crowd, looking for his other, hopefully more awake friend. _Karel, Lucius, Heath, Legalut, Raven… no, no, no, no, no… _Guy thought to himself. _Where is she?_

_Aha, _thought Guy a moment later, changing his course slightly until he was heading toward a slim figure near the edge of the nearby forest. The figure was practicing different pattern dances with her sword. Guy stopped when he was near enough to watch and see all the moves.

And he was impressed. Lyn was performing a Sacaen pattern dance, and a very difficult one at that. He watched, transfixed, as Lyn swirled, blade flashing in the dim evening light. She whirled with increasing speed and intensity.

Eventually, she came to a halt, breathing hard. Guy blinked in surprise; he hadn't even noticed her nearing the end of the dance.

Lyn smiled at him, wiping sweat off her brow. Guy looked slightly sheepish. "Hi Lyn," he greeted her, "that was _amazing._". He didn't attempt to hide the awe in his voice. He knew _he _couldn't do that.

"Hello Guy," replied Lyn, a bit breathlessly. "whew…" She looked pretty drained- though she was definitely exhilarated. She sheathed her sword, then took a step.

Guy jumped and reached out to steady her—she had stumbled. He cast her a look of concern. Lyn tried, once again, to smile reassuringly, but it came out a little bit off. It looked more like a grimace. Guy looked at her suspiciously.

"Exactly how long were you out there?", he said accusingly.

The exhausted lord sighed. "Ahh…", she sighed, thinking it out. "oh. Oops." She said quietly, more to herself than to Guy. "since… since we got back from that little scouting expedition Gwen sent us on…" Guy looked at her, impressed despite himself. She really had stamina.

Trying to sound purely annoyed and concerned for her well-being, he said, "5 ½ _hours?_" Lyn gave him a half-smile, looking slightly abashed. "You're crazy." Despite all his efforts, awe tinged his voice a bit. Hearing this, Lyn laughed a little. He glared at her.

_That's crazy, _he thought to himself, _she shouldn't' be able to do that And at the very least, she shouldn't be able to stand now. _Then he glanced up (_damn shortness!) _and saw that she was relying on his arm on hers to keep her standing. _Well, I guess she _can't_ stand. _He wrapped his arm around her waist firmly, and together they started walking.

O," Guy started, trying not to merely grunt his words (she was _heavy_!) "w-where to?" he cringed as his efforts failed utterly. _Stupid stutter._

"My tent… you should come in, have some tea with me", she replied, trying to hold up as much of her own weight as possible for the sake of her small friend.

"Yeah", agreed Guy. "I'd like that". Lyn nodded.

They continued in silence until they reached her tent. Guy helped her sit down. "I'll put on the tea". It wasn't an offer, it was a statement. Lyn gave him a grateful look. She _really_ didn't want to move right now.

"Thanks". Guy nodded, and grabbed the kettle to fill with water and put over he camp's fire.

"I really got carried away…" started Lyn once Guy got back. "But it was the best I'd ever fought"- she punctuated her statement with a wistful sigh, obviously half-wishing she was still out there with her sword- "and I just didn't want to stop". She looked at Guy, willing him to understand. He did.

"I know what you mean, I think, and"- he looked at her enviously- "I don't think I'd _ever_ stop if I found myself fighting that well".

"Actually…" she looked at him happily. "there's a reason why I'm so good…." She gave him a look, wanting him to figure it out for himself.

Guy looked at her curiously. Then, realization dawned on his face. "no…" he whispered, awed and envious. "Gwyneth gave you the first Heaven Seal." Lyn beamed, for once letting her guard down completely. "Hector will be so jealous". Lyn giggled. Guy gave her an odd look, but let it go. She had good reason to be happy.

Now that her looked at her, Lyn _did_ look a bit different. She seemed full of a new energy, even after 5 ½ hours of training. And her clothes looked nicer than usual… and her equipment… Guy gazed at it all longingly. Gwyneth had already outfitted Lyn according to her new status. And it was _really nice_ stuff.

Lyn gave him a sympathetic look. "Gwen still hasn't given you a Hero Crest?" Guy shook his head glumly. An expression of anger crossed her face. "What is she thinking?" Lyn started venomously. "You're one of the best swordfighters here, along with me. You're as strong as you can _possibly_ get without a Hero Crest. Raven isn't _that _great, and our axe fighters are too unpredictable. Yet she uses the Hero Crests on _them!_" Lyn finished angrily. She didn't understand why her friend would so deliberately ignore Guy.

Guy looked surprised, but grateful. He didn't know that anyone but Matthew had noticed how he'd mastered the sword as best he could. It was nice to know that she cared so much, too. Lyn opened her mouth again, now calm. "Ah well, Matthew's been looking for one for you, and he's our best thief. I'm sure he'll fin one soon." Lyn gave a smile at the sight of the happy and slightly dazed look on the myrmidon's face.

_He's doing that… for me?_ Guy felt incredibly (and probably unreasonably) happy. Lyn smiled knowingly and placed a hand on his knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looked at her.

"You've got a chance with him, you know that, right?" Guy just stared at his hands, hardly daring to believe it. "You know what? Spend tomorrow with him- we've got the day off. It's Serra's birthday, but I'm sure there will be some time to spend just with him". Guy smiled happily. _Maybe I could even get him to open up to me a bit_, he thought to himself. His thoughts were rudely interrupted.

"SHREEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" the two of them jumped, Guy giving a little yelp before tumbling off the bedroll.

"BLOODY HELL!" yelled Sain from somewhere outside the tent. Matthew added an "AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Guy flinched, then trudged out of the tent to get the kettle. It was obviously boiling.

So? tell me how I did! Next chapter will come out soon... It's so fun to write! But I really want some feedback. So review please?

Oh, also, I tried to do better with my punctuation-in-dialogue. Better? I hope so. Tell me:grins:


	4. Lower your Weapons

Hey, I'm back! So sorry, I feel like its been ages since I last updated- and it _has_ been a week. I'm really sorry, but really, I just got Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and I couldn't tear myself away for long enough to actually type this out! I love it too much… meh. Anyway, this chap was supposed to be the whole of Serra's Birthday, but it got SO long, I had to split it up into 3(!). This is the morning part. I'll have the next one up by the weekend, maybe even sooner. (hint: reviews motivate me! Discreet, huh?)

Oh, and I apologize to anti-sap people. I told myself I wouldn't make anything too sappy, but there is sap, though I tried to keep it minimal-ish. So yeah. Read and don't forget to review!

**Lower Your Weapons**

**The Next Day (aka Wednesday, aka Serra's Birthday)**

The thief and the myrmidon woke up tangled together in the sheets of Matthew's bed. Guy stiffened when he realized that his head was snuggled against another person's neck. His mind whirled. Any way this turned out, it's be bad. A) it was Matthew. That meant things were going _way_ too fast- he'd pictured them, oh, maybe actually admitting feelings for one another before they slept together. Or there was B): He was sleeping with another person. Badbadbad. He wanted Matthew, and _only_ Matthew. Guy didn't like his options.

Then he sniffed. Cinnamon? _Oh fuck…_Matthew_ smells like cinnamon… ermm, not that I've been smelling him… ah well, lets face it. I do._

He started to panic. He defiantly couldn't move- then he realized _why_ he was there. He calmed down, then tightened his hold slightly on the sleeping man's torso.

After Matthew had been abruptly awoken the night before by the kettle, he'd been jumpy and pale. Guy noticed as soon as he came back form Lyn's tent, but couldn't decide how to approach the matter and decided to let it go. But he noticed. While he'd been readying for bed, the normally composed and bouncy thief was acting incredibly strangely. His eyes were constantly darting around like a trapped animal, and clutching his pillow to his chest in a death grip. Though he hadn't been crying, the rims of his eyes were red and puffy, and his foot was shaking uncontrollably. He hadn't seemed to realize anything that was happening around him.

At last, Guy had gathered up all his courage (he wasn't _good_ with emotional stuff) and sat beside him on his bedroll and lay a hand on his arm.

He'd then asked Matthew what was wrong. "Bad dreams," was the short and short of it. "and…" he'd had to lean in to hear his friend at this point, "that… kettle…" he'd trailed off, leaving Guy to figure it out. It took a moment, but he managed to form a pretty accurate guess.

Matthew had been having a nightmare, about Leila's murder. And the kettle had, to him, sounded like Leila screaming as she died.

Guy, acting purely on instinct (namely the one that loved Matthew) had wrapped his arms around his friend in an awkward sideways hug, laying his head on Matthew's shoulder. He was only mildly surprised when Matthew released the pillow from his death grip and turned a bit to hug him back. He held on to Guy like his life depended on it. Despite the situation, Guy felt a small twinge on pride. _He trusts me, _he wondered at this. It felt unreal. _He trusts me enough to let his guard down for me. Me. _He held on to Matthew a little tighter.

When Guy had tilted his head upward slightly, he'd seen the extent of his _love's_ weariness. His eyes were shadowed, red rimmed, and slightly glassy. His skin looked almost translucent. His lips were dry and cracked. Even his hair looked slightly limp, not nearly as ruffled and beautiful as it normally was. He looked awful. _How could I not have noticed this? _Guy felt like literally kicking himself. _I'm supposed to be his friend! It's my job to notice how he's coping!_ Now, at least, he could offer comfort. So he murmured to him, telling him he'd stay, never leave him. Soothing things.

They'd eventually shifted so that they were lying down. Neither of them said anything about it. Matthew only shifted his head a bit to bury it in Guy's hair (for whatever reason). They had fallen asleep sometime after that.

Guy tilted his head upwards to gaze at the taller man. He looked a bit better this morning. Smiling a bit, he replaced his head in the crook of Matthew's neck. Silently, he reveled at the feeling of being in Matthew's arms.

From there, Guy went into a morning doze, drifting in and out of sleep contentedly, until approximately dawn- Matthew woke up rather abruptly, eyes wide, and sat up, accidentally dragging Guy up with him (they were wrapped pretty firmly around each other).

Matthew looked a bit startled at the extra weight, and even more startled to see a blushing Guy was the source. Then realization flashed across his face, and he started to help Guy disentangle their limbs.

Now Guy was really confused. "Wha-?" he started, but Matthew quickly cut him off with a finger on the myrmidon's lips.

"Shhh!" hissed Matthew, still working rapidly to get them wholly separated- the sheets seemed intent on keeping them wrapped up together for all eternity.

Guy was blushing slightly, but resumed helping Matthew, though he continued to send questioning looks at the nearly frantic thief.

Matthew explained shortly: "Serra-coming-squealing-no present-oh _shit."_

Guy understood in an instant and worked on the damn sheets with renewed vigor. Within seconds, they were separate. Matthew made to run away, but Guy stopped him before hurrying over to his side of the tent. He started to dig through a mountain of junk beside his bedroll. Cheerful giggling could be heard coming towards them.

Triumphantly, Guy held up a miraculously undamaged bouquet of pink flowers and a few pretty hair ribbons, then pulled out a card. "Quick, sign, these can be from both of us," said Guy quickly and quietly. As Matthew signed, Guy quickly reflected. Once, he'd have loved to see Matthew die a slow and painful death at the hands of Serra (she could really use those staves well, and they _hurt)_. But, sadly, he'd fallen in love. It had been so much simpler then… Meh. He defiantly didn't want that to be his last time waking up in Matthew's arms.

Matthew cast him a deeply thankful look as he passed back the card. Quickly, Guy read his message. _Have a happy birthday Serra! Love Matthew_ (everyone wrote "love" on Serra's card as an added safety precaution). Then, recalling a previous conversation, he scratched out "happy" and replaced it with "peachy" and signed his name. Just in time- at that moment, Serra bounced in, followed by Erk, who was apparently playing the pack mule.

"Halloo," sang Serra happily, still bouncing. Guy had already started to tune her out- he knew Matthew could handle her. The movement of her pigtails was mesmerizing. Up, down. Up, down. Pink, very pink. Puff up, flop down. Puff, flop. Puff, flop. Puff, flop.

Guy added a "Happy Birthday" when Matthew did, but otherwise remained silent. _Puff, flop._

Guy stayed completely in his own world for the rest of the short and relatively one-sided conversation. Matthew somehow managed to get both Serra and Erk-the-pack-mule away in record time. Guy absently thought that he could make a living off that- charge people money to fend off Serra.

"Ooh, that's harsh, Guy," teased Matthew, a twinkle in his eye. "She's not _that_ bad, really. Actually, she can be pretty sweet. Generous, too." He waved around the chocolate in his hand to demonstrate- apparently Serra had given them a "loot bag" of sorts. "But thanks for the idea and the compliment. It took years to hone my Serra skills. I'm glad someone appreciates it." He finished with his trademark QuickGrin® , flashing it at Guy.

"Did I say that out loud?" Guy's mind was a bit slow… it really wanted him to just curl back up and tuck himself under Matthew's arm again. _Focus!_ He reprimanded himself mentally.

"Nope. I, my friend, have recently learned how to read minds. Did you miss the memo?" Matthew said this with a perfectly straight face. Guy didn't see how he could do that… _he_ couldn't act for shit.

"Hmph," went a disgruntled Guy. Then something occurred to him. "How did you know Serra was coming? You were asleep!"

"My Serra senses were tingling." Guy blinked.

They quickly changed clothes and successfully competed their usual stutter-and-blush routine.

"So what are we going to do today?" inquired Matthew, just finishing buckling up his cloak. "With the day off and all. I figure you wanna stick with me, right?" Guy shot a surprised look at Matthew, but was too busy braiding his hair to do much else.

_Well, YES I want to stay with you all day. How'd he know that? He doesn't know I…_ his worried thoughts were interrupted by Matthew, who sighed loudly.

"Well, it's not like you have many friends," Matthew acted as if he was explaining something to a little child. The little half smile took the edge off, though. Guy settled for glaring at him- he was still braiding after all, and he _really_ didn't want to redo it. "Just me and Lyn, actually. And Lyn is probably going to be with Hector, sparring or something." Guy knew it was true. Lyn spent a _lot_ of her free time with Hector. Guy strongly suspected she fancied him. Really, she and Hector acted much like him and Matthew- always teasing, poking fun, taunting, and competing. The difference was that Guy believed that Hector fancied her right back. Matthew didn't.

"So Guy, I guess I'm stuck with you. See what a good friend I am?" Matthew smiled widely.

Guy shrugged, then turned his attention back to his braiding. It was taking forever, it seemed. Guy growled a bit.

"DONE!" yelled Guy triumphantly a minute or two later. He turned to find his special Sacaen braid tie. It wasn't where he normally left it. He twitched a bit. "Matthew…" he said dangerously. The thief grinned and waved the tie in front of Guy's nose. He lunged, but Matthew danced away, cackling evilly.

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Guy raced after Matthew, completing the rest of their morning routine.

Okay, there's the chapter. Think it's the longest yet. Next one is pure lighthearted fluff and humor. And it'll be up soon, it's not so long.

**Worry of this chap**: I've decided to put one of these in for each chap. I always have a worry, anyway. Okay, so my worry: Matthew is OOC.

People have told me I write him really well, but this chap I wrote him like I'd write… me. That's right, I talk like Matthew! Or he talks like me. Which freaked me out a bit. Ah well. But let me know if gets OOC… I may be letting him be too me-ish.

**Go click that button and review! **


	5. A Day for Miracles

**EDIT:** Jesus! I couldn't type before! To any of you that read this story its first time round, you guys are martyrs, whatever those are. It's a good thing, right? Anyway, my dialogue was horrible!! I'm so sorry! I'm trying to fix it all now!

--

Hey everybody! Yay, update!. Maybe I'll make up for my slowness with the last chapter and post the next one tomorrow. This one is the starts where the last one ended, but in **Lyn's POV**. It'll switch back to the normal Guy POV next chapter.

Wow, this day turned out to be very long… 4 chaps so far just for Serra's birthday! Mind you, this is _the big day,_ so to speak. Wow, I never talk like that… heh. Enjoy!

**A Day For Miracles**

The morning had started off well. Lyn had given Serra her present, which left her with a _free day. _Lyn loved that.

She got up and dressed, relishing the feel of her beautiful new clothes on her skin. Happily, she left the silver blade she had at the moment behind- it was _heavy_ (her beloved Mani Katti had broken, and she was still waiting for Serra to get around to using the Hammerne staff)- and armed herself only with a knife. She was, after all, living in a time of war.

Lyn stretched a bit to test out her muscles. She was stiff, but not overly so. _Wow, that Heaven Seal is a miracle in a small package,_ she thought to herself, grinning. _I'd have been sore and slower than Oswin in armor if I'd tried to do that before. _She giggled quietly- she secretly found all the heavily armored knights pretty funny. And she was in a _really_ good mood.

Lyn left her tent, walking almost normally. She was amazed at her own body. She felt invincible. She could only imagine how she'd feel once she was at peak health. Smiling, she moved through the camp, searching for a certain blue-haired lord. She really wanted to tell Hector first- well, second, after Guy. He'd be so envious, but he'd try to be sweet for her sake. He was a really amazing person, once you got past all the rudeness and insanity, as she'd found out. He was a real friend now, not just a particularly challenging sparring partner. Plus, she kind of fancied him, and as a result, loved to be around him. Apparently he liked to be around her, too, because whenever she was alone, Hector seemed to pop up to keep her company. It was sweet, really.

And as she was sitting on a log to eat her breakfast (Kent had thrust some at he as she walked- he was very protective of her), Hector showed up to sit beside her. 'Morning, Lyn,' he said, a bit distractedly. He was looking at her curiously. _He can tell! _Thought Lyn inwardly, happy. Lyn knew that she was even _moving_ differently- more precise, graceful. She loved it, and Hector had obviously noticed. He had his head turned toward her, studying her carefully. Lyn tried not to blush.

His brow furrowed. He thought for a bit longer, then something clicked. His eyebrows shot up, and he looked at her amazedly.

"Lyn, did Gwyneth give you the first Heaven Seal?" It was hardly a question, the way he said it. He looked at her anyways, and she nodded happily. "Wow…. Wow." Now he looked openly envious. Then he turned to her, looking a bit hurt, though her tried to hide it. "so… why not me?" Lyn laughed a bit. He was so bad at hiding his emotions. He flushed a bit. "I mean, congratulations!" though disappointment still laced his voice, he sounded sincere. Lyn smiled happily.

"Thank you, Hector," she said. "And as to why not you- Gwen said that the choice between us was practically impossible." At Hector's questioning look, she explained, "Eliwood has to wait for something special to happen, apparently." Hector nodded- it made sense, after all. "And so eventually, she just flipped a coin!" she laughed a bit, and he joined in, after an indignant pause. Gwyneth was pretty eccentric sometimes- deciding such an important matter based off a coin toss was just like her.

"Well, she could at least have let us chose heads or tails!" he said mock angrily. "I would like to decide my own erratic fate." Lyn laughed at the face he was making.

Normally, Lyn would have used this opportunity to tease Hector a bit, or provoke him maybe. But today was different somehow, though she couldn't pinpoint why. She just smiled at him. _Maybe… Maybe today is a day for miracles._ Hector smiled in return. _Yes, _thought Lyn, _today is a day for… _miracles_, and I like it._ They sat in amiable silence. Or at least they did, until-

"MATTHEW!"

Lyn sighed. Yes, it was a morning routine for the camp. But honestly, it was their day off- couldn't those two leave it for _one day?_

Hector growled, peace forgotten. A vein throbbed in his temple. Lyn placed a soothing hand on his arm, murmuring softly to him. She knew how Hector hated this particular morning routine, and honestly, she couldn't blame him. She just hid it better than him. Normally, he'd try to injure at least one of the two, in hopes of it stopping the routine for a while. He would undoubtedly try to today if it wasn't for Lyn. Luckily for the boys, Lyn had a good influence on Hector.

Guy's shrieks and Mathew's taunts faded away as they raced madly for the forest. Lyn turned to Hector, picking up their conversation where it had left off- amiable silence.

And so they sat.

So that was a shortie, but there are 2 more to come for this day alone. And this was just written on the spur of the moment- I felt I needed more Lyn in here. So in I put her. I hope people forgive me for being a crappy updater… anyway, I'll be better, really!

Please review? I haven't gotten much feedback lately... actually, I've gotten none on that last chapter... Maybe it's just 'cause of how spazzy been this weekend. I hope so... Anyway, back on topic: go review!

**EDIT:** Whew. I think I've fixed the dialogue and/or typos. Let me know if not. And by the way, I may mention a "new story" called Day for miracles in future chapters. Please don't mind that, that story's obsolete now.


	6. Maybe Nothing's Impossibe

Heh. I lied- my updating is still random and crappy. Bear with me, I am in school after all. Oh, and I do have a life, and it tends to interfere with the dreaded typing. Sorry!

On a different note: Ahh, I remember when this was supposed to be a mere oneshot, first piece of writing type thing. Now look at it, 6 chapters and counting…

**Maybe Nothing's Impossible…**

_That sneaking thieving excuse for a friend. Why the hell do I love such an idiot? If anyone else did this to me so regularly, I'd probably hate them. Friend he says. We had a moment there. You don't wake up wrapped around someone then proceed to steal their things! Especially not their hair ties! _Guy ranted, chasing after Matthew like mad. He _had_ to catch him today. Just had to. To prove-

Matthew disappeared up a tree.

_Crap, _thought Guy. The last time he'd followed Matthew up a tree, he'd gotten stuck. No one could get him down- eventually Matthew had to run to get Heath and Hyperion. And even then, Matthew had had to threaten Heath with Legalut to get him to use Hyperion to get Guy down. Completely humiliating on Guy's part.

With that memory fresh in his head, Guy plopped down at the base of the tree, determined to wait the thief out.

After a bit, Matthew's head poked out of the leaves. "Oh Guy, I-" he started in a singsong voice, but stopped, staring.

Guy flushed. "W-what?" he asked, already defensive. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at Matthew's head.

"Guy," said Matthew solemnly, "you look like a girl, and not a guy. No pun intended.

"What!" shrieked Guy, outraged. He looked down at himself, wondering what prompted this remark- Matthew seemed serious. Nothing unusual- only the absence of his sword and scabbard, and that didn't make him _girly._ And he hated being mistaken for a girl (yes, it had happened before).

A strand of hair fell in his eyes.

_Oh… crap. The braid came undone. I will kill him! _The last thing he felt like doing was _braiding._ He glared up at Matthew, who was looking at him innocently. Guy almost stopped glaring- the innocent look was pretty convincing. Then he remembered himself and glared at Matthew even harder. _He took my hairtie- how could he be innocent? And have I already mentioned how I'm gonna kill him!_ Then Matthew spoke.

"Guy, why didn't you tie your braid? I know you hate braiding it."

Guy twitched.

"MATTHEW!" he yelled, making the thief jump. "YOU took the damn tie!" Matthew looked sincerely shocked.

"Noooo…" he said. "I took your wristwraps…" he glanced at the piece of cloth in his hands. "Oh… oops." Matthew looked at the girlGuy apologetically.

"Do you think I believe that? You _know_ how much I hate braiding my hair! You knew that taking my hair tie would piss me off the most! So you took it!" Guy yelled, not believing his friend for a second.

"Guy. Guy. GUY." Said Matthew, cutting off the myrmidon's angry rant. "Guy," once again for good measure. Guy glared at him, but remained silent. Satisfied, Matthew continued.

"Look. Think about it. I haven't taken your hair tie since we became friends, ne?" Guy looked at him suspiciously, not sure where he was going. "I knew you hated braiding, though why you keep your hair so long if you hate it so much is beyond me…" at Guy's impatient look, he continued. "Anyway, I purposely avoided stealing it. I _do_ value our friendship, you know. Give me some credit." Matthew finished, looking a bit hurt.

Guy deflated in record time. It was true, and he felt bad for doubting his best friend. "Sorry…" he mumbled, anger gone.

"S'okay," chirped Matthew, perking right back up. "Come on. Up." His eyes sparkled as Guy's widened. "I won't let you get stuck, I promise." Guy's suspicions returned full-force.

"Why?" Matthew looked at him, a wide grin on his face.

"I'm gonna make it up to you." Seeing Guy's confused expression, he sighed good-naturedly and elaborated. "I'm going to re-braid your hair for you. Cause I'm a good person at heart." He smiled playfully at Guy. Guy smirked sarcastically and continued to gaze at him warily.

At first, he automatically assumed that the spy was just going to trick him. Lure him up there and let him get stuck type thing. But, just as he was opening his mouth, he stopped to consider the offer. He really, really didn't want to braid his hair again, and it really needed to be done. Matthew had done it once before, and he braided pretty well… plus, he'd seemed pretty sincere…

before"Okay," he said finally. Matthew flashed him another QuickGrin focusing on the task at hand. Matthew was always a natural at climbing trees, and he found Guy's "natural ability" (getting stuck in them) quite bemusing (and amusing, of course, as he'd mentioned to Guy more than once). He looked down at Guy, and steeled himself for what was to come.

Ages later, after much stifled laughter (Matthew), yelling (Guy), and cursing (both), Guy was seated relatively comfortably on a particularly sturdy branch, brushing leaves off his person. From behind him he heard Matthew shifting to get more comfortable. He drew a calming breath, then forced himself not to blush or fidget as Matthew moved so that he had Guy between his legs and reached out to start de-tangling Guy's hair.

_Ahh…_ thought Guy. He hadn't taken into account how… _intimate_ this would feel. Thoughts were swirling through his head, the most coherent of which were little snippets screaming, _Matthew!_ in his mind. They were stupid, really, his thoughts. He tried to pull himself together.

_I wish my hair wasn't so coarse… what if I've got dandruff?_ Were the thoughts that greeted him after he finished his attempt to regain his sanity. Apparently it had failed. _What if Matthew hates me forever cause my hair is so gross?_ His thoughts were panicking. Some little, sane part of his mind was doing 2 things: 1) it was screaming at the rest of his mind to shut up, and 2) that Matthew had already seen and felt his hair on a few occasions and obviously didn't care in the least. Unfortunately, that little bit of logic was being drowned by all the un-logic running through his head.

Meanwhile, Matthew had started to hum a cheery sort of tune. After a moment, guy recognized it and sang the words under his breath:

_Speed bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,  
Onward, the sailors cry  
Carry the lad that's born to be king  
Over the sea to Skye_

_Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar,  
Thunder clouds rend the air;  
Baffled our foe's stand on the shore  
Follow they will not dare_

Calmer, Guy gazed out of the tree and at the campsite as he sang.

Guy smiled. Lyn and Hector's conversation hadn't started up again, but they looked at ease with each other, and completely content.

_Though the waves leap, soft shall ye sleep  
Ocean's a royal bed  
Rocked in the deep, Flora will keep  
Watch by your weary head_

Jut then, Hector leaned over and kissed Lyn. Guy blinked. Yes, it was actually happening. He wasn't hallucinating- the whoop and whistle from behind him was proof enough. Song forgotten, Guy turned his head to glare at Matthew- that whistle had hurt his ear _a lot._ Matthew just grinned at him, seeming truly happy for the two. "Seems milord Hector has finally found some real courage. You should have seen him- all angsty. And an angsty temperamental axeweilder is _not_ someone you want to talk to." Guy just shook his head in response, grinning.

"I'm happy for Lyn," said Guy, turning back to face the camp once again. "She would never admit it, but she's liked Hector for a while." Matthew laughed and abandoned the braid for a moment to hug Guy from behind. Guy started, then relaxed- it was sweet to see had happy Matthew was for their friends.

"Nice to know that even in a war, there's some people getting some love, eh?" Guy could feel Matthew grinning against his back.

"Mm-hmm," Guy agreed lazily. Matthew let go of him and resumed braiding. Guy was sad at the loss, but said nothing. Instead, he resumed surveying their campsite.

Serra had obviously made her rounds- everyone was up, and Serra was supervising as Erk piled all her presents together. Sain was sitting on a log, apparently teasing Kent about something. The latest couple (aside from Hector and Lyn) Wil and Rath, was saddling up Shyra (Rath's mare) for Wil's riding lessons -though the process was slowed considerably by Wil stealing not-so-quick kisses from Rath. And Nino bouncing after her "Uncle" Legalut, who was trailing Heath.

A typical morning in their army, more or less. These things were routine. Guy enjoyed the familiarity that the groups shared. He loved the parts of his and Matthew's relationship that was predictable- teasing, taunting, laughing and lightheartedness. It was something he could rely on, and seeing other people with the same predictability in their lives soothed him.

Apparently, though, their routines were changing too.

Serra noticed Erk struggling with a particularly large present, and she tried to take it from him. He looked surprised, but ended up allowing Serra to help him. She smiled at him, and continued to help him. Erk kept glancing at her, surprised at the display of un-self-centeredness.

The mild-mannered Kent had finally lost it. He was yelling at a shocked Sain, seething mad. Sain tried to calm him, but he wouldn't stop. Sain seemed agitated. Finally, Sain yelled something right back that struck Kent dumb. He just stood there in shock. Sain took advantage of the moment to walk up to him and kiss him tentatively. Guy blinked. Kent kissed back.

And Wil, the hopeless rider, the boy who had no way with horses whatsoever, was sitting on Rath's horse. Rath wasn't even near him. Cautiously, Wil got the horse to walk a circle. When he didn't get bucked off, he let out a quiet "whoop!" and started to trot circles around his stunned boyfriend, who promptly started grinning.

And Nino caught up with Legalut and started to cry. Legalut abandoned his pursuit of Heath and bent down to hold her. Heath saw the upset girl and turned right around and started walking toward her- and towards _Legalut._ Guy smiled a bit.

Nothing, it seemed, was impossible.

Guy felt Matthew tie off his braid. With that new idea in mind, Guy leaned back against Matthew. He heard Matthew gasp quietly, but soon felt slim, strong arms slip around his waist.

Maybe it was true… maybe nothing was impossible.

Well, that was one of the longer chapters…

In regards to that song, it is just a completely random folksong that I wanted to put in. There is no significance to it whatsoever. Just a song. For disclaimer purposes, it's called Skye Boat Song, and it is not mine in any way. That isn't even the whole song there.

Oh, and next week I go to Quebec, which means I won't even be able to write the next chapter by hand while I'm there- I don't trust the people I have to room with. So the next chapter might be a little late, and I apologize in advance. Maybe, just maybe, I can get it up by Monday before I have to go. **Hint: reviews inspire me:)**

So yeah. Please leave a review.


	7. Don't Make Yourself Sick

OMFG. This is the third time I've typed this chapter. Or attempted, I guess. I HATE MY COMPUTER. It keeps spazzing and then shutting off then, before I can get anyone to come and look at it and HELP ME it will flicker cheerily back on, though it has deleted all that I have typed. _So, _as a result, no one believes it's that serious (nobody but my very best friends Gabrielle and Gala know about me writing fanfiction… I don't want everybody to read it!) and they just say, 'Oh, Mia, that's too bad… maybe we'll get someone to look at it someday' ! Oh, and worst of all, the first time I typed this the computer managed to recover what I'd written, but then it didn't recover it the next time and I had to re-type it! Arg, I'm so so mad. Ah, lets look in that thesaurus… I am abandoned, agitated, berserk, distracted, distraught, enraged, exasperated, excited, frantic, frenetic, fuming, furious, incensed, infuriated, irritated, livid, provoked, raging, resentful, seeing red, uncontrolled, very upset, wild, wrathful. Okay, about half of those don't apply at all (abandoned? ... -.-) But hopefully you get the idea.

Holy angry rant… now is when I go all apologetic for not getting this to you guys sooner. It _was _ready _last_ Tuesday, however as said above, my computer is a spastic idiot. And it used to be my among my best friends tear . I feel betrayed. Okay, cutting off the next rant, I really am sorry. I feel guilty… I was all resolution-full about getting the story updated by Monday, and updating really often. And I failed utterly. Sorry!

And now, after the _tres _long A/N, here's the (overdue) next chapter!

New warnings: minor minor character bashing. I don't even know if it even deserves to be called character bashing. But just to be safe… close-minded fans of Karel, Marcus or Harken may be angry. Swearing, alcohol, and a bit more graphic Shounen-ai wise. Not much, but… well, you'll see. Again, I wonder if this deserves to be called even remotely graphic.

**Don't Make Yourself Sick**

Matthew hadn't felt this content in a long time. Even with Leila… as a spy, you were always on guard. It was how you were trained. Spy + spy never leads to a good relaxing time. So, disloyal as it may seem, he truly hadn't felt so content for a long, long time. Matthew was even starting to think sappy thoughts . for example: _How does Guy make me so safe feeling? He is truly…_ (insert mushy words that will not be repeated here). If you knew Matthew, you knew that that was a big deal. He had an anti-sap thing. A passionate anti-sap thing.

But right then and there, with one arm wrapped around Guy's slim (and possibly asleep) form, he barely cared. Really, how often did the person you love- but doesn't love you back- just snuggle back against you? And Guy _defiantly_ didn't love him back yet. It was too soon. Matthew knew, though he didn't like to admit it, that he wasn't ready to move on yet. He did still love Leila.

In an attempt to chase further thought of Leila away, Matthew snuggled closer against Guy. _He sure beats my cloak on the huggability scale,_ Matthew decided- he had taken to hugging his balled-up cloak at night (discreetly, of course), and Guy was defiantly preferable. Plus, the myrmidon smelled nice. How Guy managed to smell good in a war was beyond Matthew. He sniffed. Mint, he decided. Still avoiding Leila-related thoughts with all his will, he let his mind wander and contemplate the mystery of his friend's scent.

Well. He knew that he himself smelled like cinnamon. That, however, was a conscious effort. But he couldn't imagine his sweet, modest and wholly un-vain little Guy being vain enough to do that. That was part of his charm.

Absorbed in his trivial thoughts, he didn't notice when Guy woke up. He only realized it when Guy titled his head back and smiled unguardedly at him. Matthew thought his breath may have caught- Guy looked so adorable like that. Mesmerized and not quite believing he himself was fully awake, Matthew watched as the myrmidon in his arms shifted again to turn more towards Matthew and bury his head in his shoulder. He reached out to pull Matthew's cloak around them both. Matthew decided to believe that this was real. Yes, it was too good to be true. But it was true, as far as he could tell, so why deny himself this?

So Matthew abandoned all thought and basked in the moment. He smiled contentedly to himself and tried, once again, to snuggle even closer to Guy- only to find that they were as close as they could get without danger of injury and/or strangulation. He felt Guy grin against his shoulder. He responded by tickling Guy lightly, just under the ribcage- he'd discovered the spot during one of their many "midnight duels", and it was extremely effective. Right on cue, Guy started shaking, trying to hold in his laughter like he always did. Matthew could never figure that one out- he knew Guy was laughing, whether it came out or not, so why did it matter so much? But that was Guy for you- quirky, to put it kindly.

Guy was still shaking, turning redder and redder by the second. He shot up from his position on Matthew's shoulder. Now practically sitting on the thief's lap, he waved his hands blindly in an attempt to fend off the offending hands.

One particularly enthusiastic wave was all it took. He'd forgotten that they were in a tree.

Matthew watched the fall with an odd expression on his face. Part amused, part shocked, part concerned he looked on as Guy fell right off his lap, arms waving wildly, wide-eyed and panicky before he regained mobility. He lunged forward to help the falling Guy, but he was too delayed. Guy landed on the ground with a loud, painful "THUMP". In record time, the nimble thief had climbed gracefully down the tree to go to his friend's still figure. Matthew rolled him onto his back and shook him a little, careful to avoid the already-forming bruises. Guy groaned in response, keeping his eyes shut.

"Matthew… no more trees." The thief nodded, then realizing that Guy couldn't see him, gave a little "Mm-hmm," in reply. He didn't trust himself to speak- he was trying too hard to keep himself from laughing. Oblivious, Guy continued. "Could we just _please_ spend the day like normal people?" Matthew "Mm-hmm"-ed again. Guy finally cracked open a suspicious eye.

"H-HEY! IT'S NOT F-FUNNY!" Guy yelled hoarsely, fury now reddening his face. Matthew, naturally, lost it completely- he started to laugh… really _really_ hard. Guy was helpless. His face lost the red and instead tinged an indignant pink. He crossed his arms in an attempt to look dignified. Needless to say it failed completely. It's hard to look dignified when you're lying in the dirt with a leaf stuck on your forehead and bruises forming everywhere.

_He sure does look cute, though, _thought Matthew to himself as his laughter started to die down. _I hope the rest of the day is this much fun._

--

The fire crackled merrily. Sparks shot up in the air. Fireworks banged overhead. Between Erk, Lucius, Nino, and Pent the army was seeing some fantastic things. Little lights that never ran out floated through the air, providing light in the darkness (Lucius had found a nifty new spell book). Sparklers that ignited or went out on command spat green sparks that lingered in the air (thanks to Nino's determination to have some fun). And impossibly huge fire that didn't burn anyone in their army (but would burn enemies, just in case, thanks to the ever-sensible Lord Pent) drew many eyes, changing colors as is burned merrily in the midst of the campsite. Not to mention the fireworks that formed themselves into the most amazing things- dragons, dancing people, the ordinary burst or sparks… and many more- Erk had really went all-out on Serra's party.

Few had ever seen such a display. As a result, only a few rather unique individuals remained unfazed by the awesome displays of magic before them. Namely Karel (insanity knows no surprises), Marcus (stuffy old man!), Harken (ever stone faced, that one) and Matthew.

Inside, of course, Matthew was plenty impressed. It was… impressive, after all. But he couldn't show it- not when Guy was right beside him, gaping like an idiot. Plus, his mind was relatively occupied.

Leila had been edging in to his brain all afternoon. He'd done plenty to keep busy, pushing himself to exhaustion. But this time he couldn't keep the thoughts of her gone- they just came back. Especially around Guy. Every time Guy had smiled at him, or laughed with him today, his mind would flash to Leila. He'd had a funny feeling all afternoon… not guilt, exactly, but it was close. Disloyalty, he supposed, to Leila, was as close as he could get to naming it. And now, right here and now at the most fantastic party he'd ever been to, Leila was battling for attention.

He'd always thought about Guy to halt any thoughts of Leila. But now… it was almost like his thoughts of her actually _were_ her, edging in and planting herself firmly in the front of his mind. Except if Leila was alive, if his thoughts _were_ her, everything would be simple again. Maybe not easy, but simple. Feeling disloyal to a memory… was defiantly complicated.

A small yelp interrupted his thoughts. He dragged his focus gratefully back to the present, thankful for even a short reprieve from his confusedness.

"Wow…" the awestruck Sacaen said, "this…" he gestured vaguely to the display. Matthew took his cue and slipped back into the happy mask.

"Yeah… it's _kinda_ incredible…" he said nonchalantly. Or at least he hoped it sounded nonchalant- to his own ears, it sounded strained. Luckily, Guy's attention had already shifted away from his friend and back to Erk's fireworks.

Feeling the need to do something, Matthew shifted in his seat, trying to think of what he could do. Seeing a particularly rowdy Sain next to a red Kent caused the inspiration to strike. "I'm gonna go grab some drinks. You want?" Matthew inquired. Guy shook his head without looking at him. Matthew noticed the little pink tinge in his cheeks. Chuckling to himself, Matthew headed towards the drinks, wondering what his sweet, innocent, naïve Guy had done under the influence of alcohol to make him blush.

_Wait, sweet, innocent Guy? _Murmured his uncooperative thoughts. _What about your lovely, sexy Leila?_ Matthew increased his pace- alcohol sounded perfect right then.

Grabbing one of the many makeshift cups, he tipped his head back and downed its contents in record time. _Thank gods for Serra's… bargaining skills,_ he thought gratefully. He went for a refill. And again… and again, again, again… maybe again?

Matthew had considerably less on his mind now. Yes, some part was still tugging at his, some feeling. Like a concentrated headache, really. But… he was better now.

Freshly-filled cup in hand, he made his way back to Guy, who amazingly enough hadn't moved an inch since the thief had left him. Matthew practically fell down on the ground beside his friend.. Even Guy noticed this- he tore his gaze away from the magical picture and looked at Matthew quizzically. Matthew didn't care. Sipping on his drink, he leaned heavily against Guy's arm. His mind had started it's whispers again- _Leila, Leila. Remember her? You're forgetting her, Matt. You are disrespecting her memory. _Matthew hardly understood what he was thinking, just knew that he had to make it _stop_. He took a large gulp.

"Matthew." Oh right, Guy. "Matthew!" Matthew turned to gaze at Guy with half-lidded eyes. "Are you… are you d-drunk?" He sounded incredulous. _My… naïve, innocent Guy._ Out loud, Matthew chuckled a bit, though it sounded strained.

"Noooo…" Matthew slurred. "We-ell, maybe a bit… a lot…" he trailed off in drunken thoughtfulness. "S'Good, though. Leila can't… I can't… the pain won't find me. Can't get me," he said, now seeming almost sober.

Guy turned to him, anger evident in his whole body. He opened his mouth. "Matthew-" the cut himself off, apparently chickening out of whatever he was going to say. Matthew watched as the anger drained from the myrmidon's body. He looked mildly disgusted with himself. Matthew felt no curiosity. He just felt detached from everything. Distantly, he felt Guy's arm make its way around him to lead his somewhere. Matthew was feeling a bit lightheaded. _What happened to the days when I could have a couple beers and feel like the most carefree person in the world? What the fuck happened to the good kind of drunk?_

He stumbled and found himself unable to catch himself. Guy's small frame couldn't support his sudden dead weight, and he fell right to the dirt. He didn't pick himself back up. _Leila…_that was all it took. Leila caught up with him. The blood drained from his face and he clenched his fists, still facedown in the dirt. He felt Guy turn him over and try to carry him back to the tent. Through his haze, Matthew tried to push Guy away- he hated being weak. The push was feeble, but Guy seemed to get the message, and he let his friend walk on his own.

Matthew started to walk jerkily in the direction of the tent. It was so far away… he started to run. Guy jogged after him, asking no questions for once. Matthew stopped. It wasn't helping. _Fuck… Leila…_he came to a dead halt. Guy drew level with him. Tentatively, he reached his arm back around his companion's waist and led him to their tent… it wasn't that far, after all.

--

Inside the tent, Guy helped Matthew lower himself to his bedroll. Once he was safely on the ground, he knelt down beside his pale friend and started to remove his cloak. Matthew's eyes shot open as soon as he touched a clasp, and before he knew it his wrist was clutched in a white knuckled grip. Guy tried to hide his alarm as he looked down at Matthew.

Matthew's eyes were wide and red-rimmed. They stood out in stark contrast to his too-white face. He was sweating slightly- Guy could see the little beads of moisture on his forehead. _Matthew never sweats…_Worry welled up in Guy's chest, piling on top of all the other emotions he'd been feeling that day.

Guy looked down at his wrist and the hand clutching it. He stared at that hand for a while, trying to gather up the courage to tell Matthew… something. That he was in love with him? That he had to stop trying to run? That he was an idiot? That he was safe? Guy didn't know, but he resolved to say something to the suffering man.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes following Matthew's arm right up to his face. He fixed his eyes on the red-rimmed ones before him, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Matthew…" Guy didn't recognize his own voice. It sounded almost loving… "I… you-dammit!" The look he was getting from Matthew made it hard to continue. It was such a mixture of feelings- hope, fear, sorrow, panic, apprehension, even some things Guy couldn't (or wouldn't) name, all of that, even through the drunkenness. _How can he feel all that at once?_ Guy wondered, forgetting himself a bit as he watched Matthew's revealing eyes. He watched as his friend struggled to figure out just what he was feeling. Whether he actually figured it out or not, Guy didn't know. He was a bit preoccupied with the explosion taking place in his head.

Matthew suddenly reached out his unoccupied hand to pull Guy down a bit as he sat up. Matthew kissed him once. That was a sweet kiss… pure and, dare Guy think it, loving. Guy was the one to pull back, too shocked to say or even think anything. Matthew and him stared at one another for a short period.

Matthew always was a bit impatient. He pulled Guy to him roughly for another kiss. This was different- Guy could feel Matthew's desperation through the kiss. Against his better judgment, Guy kissed back.

He felt Matthew's chapped lips on his. Felt their bodies fall back on the bedroll. Felt Matthew's slightly dry tongue enter his mouth. Tasted the alcohol in his mouth. Felt Matthew clinging desperately to him.

He pulled away from Matthew for the second time- he seemed to have forgotten the need for air. Matthew wouldn't let him go for long, though- he pulled Guy in for another, fiercer, kiss as soon as they had taken a breath.

Guy moaned lightly into the kiss- Matthew had started to move his hand under Guy's shirt. Matthew just kissed him harder in response. Guy ran his hands over Matthew's back, forgetting himself completely.

A loud, alarming noise fixed that.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! GET OUT HERE, NOW!"

Alright. There, at long last, is the chapter. Long one, eh? Not counting the AN, it was 14 pages… double the length of my shortest chapter.

Anyway, I know I don't deserve it, but please, please review? I think the spazzy computer is fixed, so updating should go back to normal. And I am working on a Heath/Legalut oneshot. Oh, and it's my birthday this Friday! 14th birthday, woohoo! So… leave me a review-style present? I'd really love it! Heh. As you may have noticed, I've given up on trying to be subtle...


	8. Twist and Scream

Heh. Rayestar Ikina pointed out to me that I've been spelling Legault's name wrong (I spelled it Legalut). Which really threw me- now I have to actually correct myself when I think/say/type his name (I pronounced it how I spelled it). So big thanks for pointing that out, and I've went over this chapter and edited it. One day I'll change his name in the other chapters, too.

--

Hey everybody! Not to bad this time, only a week and a half. I finally got to write my battle scene! Though I don't think it actually cam out all that well… ah well, I had fun writing it!

Is Matthew Ostian? I wasn't sure, but I wrote it anyway… it's been way too long since I played FE.

**New warnings**: blood and violence. That sorta thing. Oh, and maybe some crappy characterization, but that's just my writing skills. Enjoy, and please R&R!

**Twist and… Scream**

**Wednesday Night/ Early, Early Thursday (End of Serra's Birthday)**

_This is the most fun I've had for a long time… maybe ever. Weird how it happens in the middle of a war… _Gwyneth thought wryly. A true tactician, she was. Enjoying herself the most during a war. Actually, that was just twisted…

She laughed out loud. She suspected she was a little drunk. But she _was_ entitled to a little fun- having the fate of the world on your shoulders wasn't easy.

She felt so at peace with herself. It was like the old and the new here were mixing for the first time- and Gwyneth liked it.

The old her was so different- all joy and energy, and such a flirt. But ever since her first bandit attack when she was 16, she had started to harden. She cultivated her talent for war, finally using her brilliant mind. Her father was _so_ proud…

And here she was, happy as could be.

She danced her way through the party, feeling grateful to Legault, who had suggested music, and for Canas (!) for finding the spell to do it. Sure, it wasn't as good as the real thing, but nobody was being too picky.

As the night wound down, more and more people retired to their tents- in many cases, with another accompanying them. _People with a strong bond fight better together on the battlefield, _went the tactician in Gwyneth. _May as well take note of who's with whom._

First to leave were Wil and Rath. No surprises there- the two were inseparable. And they made a pretty deadly team on the battlefield, so they had Gwyneth's full approval. Isadora and Harken came next, then Kent and Sain. Well, Kent dragging a very drunk Sain, but still… they were pretty sweet together. And who wouldn't love a pair of invincible knights, made even more so by each other?

Next came Matthew and Guy, though they appeared to be having some problems. _Poor Matthew, _Gwyneth thought sadly. Discovering Leila like that in the forest… Gwyneth shook her head to clear those thoughts.

And finally, Heath, Legault and Nino- though they didn't seem to be heading for their tent. _Ah, taking Nino for a ride on Hyperion, _she realized. Those three would be a true force to be reckoned with. _But really… an army, viewed by many as the place where all tough guys go and fight… who would have thought that so many would be gay? _Gwyneth smiled to herself. It didn't bother her in the least.

Turning her attention back to couple spotting, she looked over the party. Many were dancing together, or just laughing together. _Let's see… _Hector and Lyn- she'd have to remember that. Each was deadly on their own, but together? Gwyneth tried not to get too excited. Serra and Erk… that was good, she supposed. 2 magic users… they could be paired up with people to defend them. Rebecca and Canas, too- now _that_ was a surprise. And, actually, wholly useless. A druid and a sniper? Gwyneth wrinkled her nose. _Ah well…_

The night continued to wind down. Erk stopped the fireworks, and Canas stopped the music. More and more people headed for bed. Gwyneth herself was just about to go to her tent when she saw a knight on a white horse come from their lookout spot. _Marcus…_she thought tiredly.

"Lady Gwyneth," said the knight, not even breathing hard, "We're under attack- a wyverns and generals, I believe. Maybe more." The tactician's eyes widened, the narrowed in quick thought.

"Okay," she started, looking grim. _Most people drunk, many probably undressed. This _can't_ go well. _She looked upwards, sending a quick prayer.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" she bellowed, "GET OUT HERE, NOW!"

--

The camp was in a state of chaos. Gwyneth did her best to organize the army, but with such limited time until the enemy came (Marcus estimated 1 hour, due to the general's slowness), there wasn't even time for Serra or Pricilla to whip up enough sobering potion. The small amount they had was given to the most drunk- Sain, Matthew, and Farina. Those 3 now had a mild hangover, but it was an improvement from full-fledged drunk when it came to battle. Though "an improvement" wasn't what they needed- really, what they needed was a miracle.

"We're going to need a fucking miracle to pull this off," muttered Matthew. He wasn't particularly fond of hangovers. Plus, he'd just been interrupted while making out with Guy. Matthew was still internally cursing the enemy, and the gods… and Gwyneth, and Lyn, and Hector, and Eliwood, and Marcus… he knew full well that he was being unreasonable, but he felt it was justified.

Beside him, Sain and Farina nodded. They were just grabbing some supplies before they left the safety of the healing tent. Even Lucius (the healer tonight) nodded glumly at Matthew's statement.

Amidst all the noise that could be heard coming form outside, Matthew's sharp ears picked up Guy's voice calling him. Putting on an extra burst of speed, he grabbed a couple of elixirs and dashed out the tent flap. "The hangover will go away soon!" he heard Lucius say as he passed him.

Rapidly weaving through the crowd, he headed towards where Guy's voice had been. He saw the myrmidon's braid whirling as Guy's head whipped back and forth. Matthew ran up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Guy jumped a bit, and then turned his head to see the spy. His eyes closed, for a split second, in relief. Matthew noticed his ears simultaneously flame red. With a wince, Matthew withdrew his hand. "Hey," he said instead.

"Hi," said Guy breathlessly, regaining his composure. "Come on, hurry up!" Without hesitation, Guy grabbed Matthew by the wrist. Matthew blinked in confusion as he stumbled after Guy. He'd figured that what he'd done tonight would severely damage their friendship. But here Guy was, acting as if nothing had happened- and actually _touching _him.

Unable to think of anything to say, Matthew attempted to gather his wits and stop with the stumbling. _Guy's supposed to be the one stumbling after _me, thought Matthew, half-serious. He managed to stop stumbling, and now ran alongside Guy to their tent. Neither noticed that they probably looked like idiots, holding hands and running like they were.

Guy was still slightly ahead, and as a result it was he who whipped open the tent flap and flung the Ostian inside.

Without pause, Guy rapidly started to put on his meager armor. Wrist wraps, kidskin gloves (a present form Matthew, those), headband, leather guards, leather boots. Matthew knew the list by heart. He started to get his own things. Boots, guards, cloak. He checked his supply of knives. _Running a little low,_ he realized. He grabbed a few and slipped them into the various sheaths strapped on his body. Lastly, he grabbed a couple of swords- a worn-out armorslayer and a shiny new silver sword- Gwyneth had mentioned Generals.

They were both ready. They headed to meet with the tactician.

--

Gwyneth surveyed her gathered troops with a critical eye. Maybe they'd get lucky… maybe this wouldn't be too bad.

The group was gathered around Pent's fire. Gwyneth stood before them all, looking almost ethereal in the flickering, multicolored light.

"Alright, here's what we'll do," Gwyneth said, running a hand through her short, spiky black hair. "The people who I call come with me. You'll be the ones on the battlefield tonight. The rest defend the camp." She gazed over her army once more. A deep breath. "Sain. Kent. Wil. Rath. Erk. Nino. Guy. Lyn. Florina. Matthew. Hector. Heath. Farina. Legault. Raven. Serra. Lucius." Said individuals stepped forward, moving behind Gwyneth. "Everyone staying here, guard the camp, Marcus and Eliwood take charge. I'll be back here in a bit. Watch out for thieves, assassins, flying units… you know what to do." Marcus nodded. Eliwood looked grave. Gwyneth turned to face the fighters behind her. "Alright, people. Come with me."

--

Matthew stuck close to Guy as they entered Gwyneth's jumbo-sized tent- Gwyneth's tactics-tent, so to speak. They all formed a circle around the tactician.

"Okay," said Gwyneth briskly. "We're on a plateau-type thing. Meaning very little cover, for you or the enemy." She moved her hands as she talked. "Marcus saw generals and knights- heavily armored, as you know. And then flying units. He guessed wyvern knights, but there may be some Pegasus or falkoknights. So lots of lances." She looked pointedly at Raven, Guy, Lyn, Matthew and Legault. "Armorslayers, lancereavers. Raven, take an axe. You have to practice sometime." Raven scowled, but pointed to the axe strapped across his back. Gwyneth nodded. "Good. Okay, here are the groups. Stick with who I pair you with, though. Matthew and Guy, Wil and Rath, Raven and Lucius, Heath, Legault, and Nino. You are the first group- you get to be the main attackers. Nino, try and stay near to Legault and Heath, but don't ride Hyperion with them." The young mage nodded. "Erk and Serra, Hector and Lyn. You four take the west side; sneak up on them. And the last group: Sain and Kent, Florina and Farina. You're between the other two groups. You can all hold your own pretty well, so help whoever is in need. And take a couple elixirs, or vulneraries." Gwyneth drew a huge breath. "And it's dark, so take torches, and listen to Legault and Matt-" She was interrupted by Lucius stepping forward.

"Seeing as we're low on torches, why don't we take my light orbs? You can just will them brighter or dimmer and they'll stay over your shoulder. There should be enough for 1 per pair, maybe two." To demonstrate, he gestured to the one hovering over his shoulder.

Gwyneth looked as if she wanted to slap herself. "Oh! Of course! Everybody grab a light!" Gwyneth said, now shaking her head for not thinking of it sooner.

Matthew stopped Guy from grabbing one as he held up the one in his hand. "You take this- I don't need it," he explained. Guy nodded.

"Alright. Everybody, organize yourselves. I'm coming round to give you specifics." When she reached Matthew and Guy, she only said, "be careful. You two haven't promoted yet. Don't push it. Oh, and talk to Heath- he's got the specifics for your group." And with that, she was gone.

--

Matthew and Guy were slightly separate from the group. Legaultt and Heath were overhead on Hyperion, acting as lookouts. The rest of the group was advancing together. Matthew and Guy… they didn't want to be with everybody else. Not really.

Matthew had never felt so awkward in his life. It wasn't like him- he was always the casual one, never seeming to stress over anything. But here he was, advancing alongside Guy, feeling so tense he couldn't even think of anything to say.

Then Guy spoke. "M-Matthew, earlier tonight… w-what was that?" Matthew flinched.

"Guy…" here is where he had to decide something huge in a second. Did he say he was drunk, seeking comfort? Or… the truth? If he chose the wrong answer, Guy could be chased away from him forever. "I…" he was cut off by Legault's soft call from above.

"Halt… the generals are coming. About 4 minutes, at the rate they're going. So, hide, conceal yourselves. Heath and I'll attack from above. When you hear us, come out prepared." They heard a soft 'whoosh' as Hyperion beat his wings to carry the two further upwards.

Matthew and Guy crouched low behind a small ledge of rock. The rest found a skimpy patch of bushes to hide behind- they were relying on the darkness to keep them concealed. Simultaneously, everybody's orbs dimmed until they were barely glowing.

Lying beside Guy, listening to his friend's hushed breathing, he realized that he hadn't answered the question. Quickly, before he could decide otherwise, Matthew reached out a hand to grasp Guy's shoulder. Guy nodded slightly to show he was listening, but didn't turn away form where the enemy would appear.

"That was real," said Matthew, barely even a whisper. Matthew saw Guy's eyes widen, and the corner of his mouth lift. Matthew too smiled, and turned back to survey the battlefield. _I chose right…_he couldn't stop himself from grinning.

'CLANK. THUMP'. _Way to ruin a moment,_ thought Matthew sourly. Drawing slightly apart, Matthew and Guy tensed, ready to jump out of their hiding spot at any moment, and-

"Gahhh…" came a deep cry- a general. In a flash, the two were up, drawing their swords as they went.

It looked almost as if a living wall was before them. 8 generals and 7 knights, armor gleaming, approached. As they ran forward, the two saw Heath swoop upwards, Legault grabbing the wyvern's tail to hoist himself up behind Heath. Rath and Wil stood back a bit, firing their silver bows in perfect synchronization. Raven stood a bit in front of the archers, axe drawn, Lucius immediately behind him. Nino stood alone, starting her spell.

They ran at the wall of generals- 3 already dead, thanks to Heath, Legault and the archers.

Then they were there. Matthew leapt at a general, stabbing once, dancing away from the lance, then coming up from behind and stabbing twice more. The armorslayer did its job- the man was staggering. A blast of Elfire came to finish him off- Nino was right up with the rest of them. Out of the corner of his eye, Matthew saw Guy critical against his knight and kill it in one blow.

Nearby, Raven fought another general. Though his axe had an advantage, the iron wasn't doing much against the thick armor. Matthew darted behind the general and stabbed between two plates of armor. With a gurgle, the big man fell. Raven turned to face his next opponent, this time helped by Lucius.

Matthew turned to see a lance coming at his face. He ducked, reaching up to grab the lance and pull himself and the general towards each other as he thrust with his sword. He jumped backwards as 2 arrows punched through his enemy's faceguard, killing him instantly. Matthew stepped forward to remove his sword, then glanced around for Guy. He spotted the myrmidon holding his own against the last general. _They really aren't particularly strong generals, _thought Matthew to himself as he raced towards Guy.

Out of nowhere, 2 knights came to block his way. Matthew moved away from the lance that was thrust at his, but wasn't quick enough- he felt his right arm get cut and start to bleed. He switched his sword to the other hand and ducked down, avoiding the javelin that was just thrown, and came up close. He raised his body to slash at his opponent's chest. The bigger man stumbled and wheezed, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Matthew started to breathe heavier as he dodged the next lance.

Just then, a blur of green and mauve dropped from the sky. In a flash, one knight was lying on the ground in a pool of blood as Heath extracted his lance. The other was soon blasted by a light spell from Lucius. Matthew briefly nodded his thanks to Heath, then took off towards Guy once more. As he ran, he uncorked a vulnerary with his teeth and dripped some on his wound. It stung more than he thought- he wobbled a bit and stopped running. Guy appeared at his side.

"Matthew?" he sounded alarmed. Matthew smirked- his arm had stopped stinging and was healing as they spoke.

"It's nothing Guy. Really." Matthew glanced around curiously. "Was that the last of the knights, too?" Guy nodded.

Suddenly, Matthew saw something streaking towards Guy. "Guy!" he yelled in alarm. It didn't look very friendly.

Guy ducked, and the shadow missed. Turning, both of them saw a druid.

Guy got there first. In a blur of silver and red, the druid was lying dead. Matthew, coming up behind the myrmidon, noticed something around his neck. He reached down.

"Guiding Ring," said Matthew, pocketing it. "Lucky Nino." Guy nodded, scanning the field for the rest of their group.

"There!" Guy pointed, not waiting for an answer before he took off. Matthew followed.

"Hah!" Legault cried triumphantly as they defeated a paladin. Nino gave him a high-five, grinning. "That's the last of them, for now. Let's head west - Gwyneth said we should after we beat these guys." The group nodded.

"Wait 1 second," Matthew called out. Walking up to Nino, he held the guiding ring between two fingers. Nino's eyes sparkled as she took the proffered ring.

As she slipped it onto her finger, she whispered a few words. The ground around her started to glow a pale gold. Nino herself radiated light. Heath and Legault looked like proud parents.

Matthew saw the wistful look on Guy's face. He edged closer, slipping and arm around his waist.

"I'll find you one," whispered Matthew. Guy turned to him and smiled.

--

Matthew whirled until he was back to back with Guy. On the Brightside, this was the last pack of enemies their group would need to defeat. On the Darkside, the two of them were surrounded, and the rest of their group had problems of their own. Heath, Legault, Nino, Rath and Wil were focusing on the huge Pegasus unit above them. Raven and Lucius were battling a small group of paladins and cavaliers. The myrmidon and the thief were on their own.

They had knights, a paladin, and a sage on the ground. Then there was the occasional Pegasus or falcoknight that got away from Heath and the rest. Matthew knew this couldn't go well.

"I can do it… I've got to be the best…" he heard Guy muttering to himself. Matthew would have laughed had the situation not been so grim. He focused of the enemy that was closing in.

First attack- the air crackled, and Matthew and Guy stepped away from each other- and the thunder that would have hit them. Matthew rapidly unsheathed 2 knives and threw them, in quick succession, at the offending sage. The sage fell.

He felt Guy come against his back once more. Matthew nudged him.

Both ducked as 2 javelins flew at them. Matthew heard Guy hiss as one of them grazed his thigh. Not stopping, both leapt up and outwards, slashing at the knights. Matthew whirled and scored a critical hit, his knight now lying on the ground. The victory was sour, however- the armorslayer broke, and another knight was moving forward. Now unarmed, Matthew dodged another lance thrust, drawing his silver sword as fast as he could.

Between the two of them, the knights were finished off without too much difficulty. They even succeeded in wounding the paladin instead of just avoiding it. However, by the last of the knights, they were exhausted. Both were breathing heavily. Matthew's hair was now in sweat-slicked spikes, and Guy's sword arm was trembling slightly. The paladin circled them with a triumphant, if wary, air.

The paladin charged at Guy and missed. Guy immediately retaliated with a blow to the woman's side. Matthew moved towards the paladin, hoping against hope that he could surprise their enemy.

Suddenly, a falcoknight dove from the sky, aiming for Matthew. He yelped, barely avoiding the lance- he had to drop right to the ground and roll to avoid being run through.

He watched in apprehension as the falcoknight rose back up and start her next dive. _She's so fast… _thought Matthew, trying to move, get up, anything! But he couldn't go fast enough- he was too tired, and he knew it…

But then, Guy was standing in from of him, his sword locked against the lance, preventing it from going any further.

Matthew scrambled to his feet, a rush of adrenaline coursing through his. Guy was losing ground- if he couldn't get the falcoknight away, Guy would be speared by the lance. He reached for a dagger to throw…

"No…" his sheaths were all empty. _How…?_ Guy's face was clenched in strain.

The ball of light hovered over the thief's shoulder still. Praying this would work, Matthew grabbed it. He willed it as bright as it could go, and threw it in the woman's face, covering his own eyes.

"Ahh!" Matthew felt relief fill him as he heard the shriek. Her Pegasus reared back, drawing her lance away from Guy. Matthew, seeing his opportunity, rushed forward to grab the staggering myrmidon, thrusting Guy away; he turned to face the falcoknight, sword drawn. A feeling of dread settled in his stomach.

A blast of Elfire came, then a silver arrow. The knight and her mount fell. Matthew turned to see the rest of his group approaching, looking as weary as he felt- except Nino, who was too excited about her new status to be weary. Heath and Legault dismounted.

"That's the last of them," stated Heath, leaning on Hyperion. Legault came up to Matthew and offered an arm for support. Matthew took it gratefully. The adrenaline had left, leaving him shaky.

"That," said Legault "was too close. But us at the end there? That was almost cliché, it was so perfect. Saving you in the nick of time…" Legault trailed off thoughtfully. Matthew, despite his weak state, smirked.

"Hmmm… cliché… nope. We could have handled that on our own. Did you see me with that Lucius's orb?" Legault just smirked right back.

Heath and Guy both sighed at their companion's behavior.

"You know…" Guy said thoughtfully. "I don't think I like clichés. At all. I'd prefer you all coming in before we're practically dead. Heath smiled slightly.

"Hey, what happened to that paladin?" Matthew asked suddenly. Guy smiled proudly and pointed.

"Nice," commented Legault. The paladin was dead, two neat cuts across her chest. Her horse was nowhere to be found.

Matthew shrugged Legault's arm off and walked towards the paladin- he thought he saw something shiny. Bending down, Matthew picked up a small, warm metal piece. Brushing the dirt off, Matthew noticed the ruins on the back. "Earth Seal…" he breathed. Then his eyes lit up.

"Guy!" the myrmidon turned towards him. Matthew tossed the Earth Seal to him.

"No way…" said Legault, peering over Guy's shoulder.

"Yay Guy!" chimed Nino happily. Guy, however, looked uncertain. He turned to Matthew.

"But… it's not a Hero Crest… so others could use it. I shouldn't." Guy gazed longingly at the item in his hands.

"Guy. You're being an idiot." Matthew said. "It's for you- you're one of Gwyneth's favorites. She's wanted you as a swordmaster for a while now. Did you know I've been looking for one of these forever, to give to you?" Guy was still looking at the seal. "Think about it. The only other people who aren't promoted are people that Gwyneth never sends out on the field, and then Legault and I. We have to wait for a contract to change." Legault nodded to confirm. "So use it!"

By now, Guy was grinning. Stepping back, he placed the seal at the base of his throat, and whispered his own words.

The air around him started to shimmer. Light seemed to be drawn to Guy, until he was glowing a pale blue, almost white. It was blinding, but Matthew refused to blink.

The light seeped downwards, pooling at Guy's feet as he started to emit rays of light. Suddenly, the light seemed to be sucked back into the swordmaster. Matthew finally blinked to clear his vision and moisten his eyes.

"Guy!" he yelled happily, seeing his love start to stretch. _He's the same… but so different. More graceful… I'd be terrified to face his on the battlefield, _thought Matthew with a tinge of loss. _Not my bumbling swordsman anymore._

Everybody cheered, but Guy seemed to be oblivious. His eyes were fixed on Matthew. He was beaming. Matthew grinned happily back, letting down all walls.

Unfortunately, however, Matthew's eyes were still itching from the display. Cursing the need for moisture, Matthew closed his eyes and rubbed at them furiously.

Just then, he heard a sickening 'THWAMPH', a scream, and cries of anger and pain. He yanked his hands away from his eyes.

"Guy?" he called out, vision blurry from the rubbing. _Fuck!_ Matthew was scared. He tried to calm down and focus on the sounds around him.

Someone gasping nearby. The sound of flesh being cut. The crackle of magic.

After what seemed like an eternity, Matthew's vision cleared. The first thing he saw was Legault doubled over and clutching at his chest with bloodstained fingers beside fallen nomadic trooper. Lucius stood over another nomadic trooper, though he was unharmed. Raven beside him, bleeding from a small cut on his shoulder. Rath and Wil standing together, anger evident on their pale faces. Nino, running towards something behind Matthew.

Matthew turned, a feeling of intense dread forming.

Heath was on the ground behind him, gasping in pain and staring at an arrow protruding form his thigh…

And Guy, lying on the ground, dark blood staining his abdomen and heading outwards.

I sincerely hope that you're all screaming at me (or, I guess, you're computer) for leaving you like that. Cause, really, that's what I want. First attempt at a major cliffie, ya know?

Anyway, please review now. Please, please give me feedback on the battle scene, cause I don't think it came out like I'd hoped. Next chapter should come sometime this week, as I've already started writing it.

Also, this is not a battle that takes place in fire emblem. It's a mini battle in the middle of the night that I made up completely. I needed to get a small battle in, and this just works.


	9. Experiments with Frostbite

Hmm… this was a chapter that I wrote when a bathtub-load of inspiration struck me after I got 4 reviews in 24 hours, topped 20 reviews, and the total number of FE fics went up to 2000. No, that last one really doesn't matter that much, it was just kinda cool to see Fire Emblem (_2000)_ on the list. Anyway, I wrote this after I started writing the next chapter, and really it's just a small experimental chapter. Personally, I think it turned out well.

And I should really thank all those new reviewers that I got the last couple of chapters, because you all are awesome. And, of course, **Magic Pyro Anabeil, Gatewalker, maidenmonster, Reyan, **and **K-Gforever** for reviewing more than once. Love you all, and thanks especially to **Magic Pyro Anabeil **for reviewing practically every chapter so far!

Just to be really clear, the _he_ I keep talking about is Matthew, though I'm sure you'd all have figured it out, brilliant-type people that you are. ;)

Happy reading, and don't forget to review!

**Experiments with Frostbite**

It was like he had frostbite- he knew that something indescribably horrible was happening, he even _saw_ it. He _knew_ that he should be feeling intense pain or terror… _something._ But he was just numb…

He felt as if he were completely isolated the rest of the world, including his own body. It was as if he was watching from a distance as he tore at his shirt mechanically, tearing it into unnaturally neat strips. Binding the wound, watching the cheerful green of the fabric darken as it became saturated with blood.

Everyone else seemed to be moving way to fast, walking at a fevered speed as they sped around him, tending to each other. There were others to heal, not just the one _he_ loved. He applied more pressure to the wound, trying to staunch the flow of red. But he wasn't moved by the sight before him, wasn't crying. He was as a robot- for what was the body without the mind?

--

_How did this happen- everything was so good, s perfect… oh Saint Elimine, help us… _Lucius tried to clear his head and concentrate fully on the healing he was trying to do. The wide gash in Legault's chest wasn't deep enough to be fatal, but it was proving difficult to heal.

The young bishop wiped a drop of sweat from his brow, feeling how his bangs were plastered there. It was… stressful, to say the least, being the only one with a stave in their group- he didn't even have an extra so that Nino could help. With 3 critically wounded people, 1 novice healer just wasn't enough.

Lucius took a shaky breath and started another healing spell. _That's the 3rd one in a row,_ realized Lucius worriedly. He wasn't good enough with staves yet for this kind of healing!

The spell finished, and Lucius sighed. _That's all I can manage right now…_ he thought resignedly, feeling useless.

Lucius almost fell right back down when he attempted to get up. Only Nino's timely appearance at his side saved him. She looked up at him worriedly.

"Lucius," she said, voice full of concern. .Let me heal a bit. You're exhausted, and we do have a couple of elixirs to help along." Lucius hesitated, then nodded, feeling weak at having to give a teenage girl his job. Despite this, he let Nino help him back to the ground.

Rath and Wil returned from their scouting. "No more of them… for real this time," Wil said gravely, waving away the extra light orbs they had taken. Nino nodded, then raced towards Matthew and Guy.

Wil's shoulders slumped, and a gloomy expression filled his eyes. Without a word, Rath dismounted from Shyra He moved next to his boyfriend and wrapped him in a one-armed hug, whispering something in his ear. Wil's expression lightened. Then Rath turned to Lucius.

"Lucius," he said in his low voice, "is there any was you could make a light that would shine only for our allies?" Lucius frowned in thought.

"Maybe," he said slowly. "I'd need to call on…" without finishing the sentence, Lucius reached for his light orb and muttered a few words. There was a pinkish flash, and then the orb returned to normal. Lucius nodded, ignoring the weakness that had come over him.

"I think I did it," he said, handing it over to the Sacaen.

Without a word, Rath took it in his hand and threw it high in the air, closing his eyes in concentration and making it brighten as it went. The three shielded their eyes.

When his vision cleared, Lucius looked upwards. A bright, steady light shone above them.

Wil reached for Rath again.

"Now they'll find us," he whispered.

--

As Rath and Wil went to help Heath, Nino was healing Guy. She had been worried a bit at first, seeing as this would be her first healing. But she seemed to know intuitively what to do. Her fear was eased.

What did scare her though, was Matthew. He was so empty, and his eyes… they made her shiver. They were so blank, so devoid of …anything. It was awful.

Looking back down, she re-started the healing spell. The comforting blue glow surrounded her.

When it ended, however, things were as cold as they had been before. _Cold in every way, _Nino noted, shivering for more reasons than one.

The healing spells were surprisingly draining. With a deep breath, the young sage started the spell over again.

When the glow faded once again, Nino got Matthew to remove the sodden cloth from Guy's wound. She didn't want any of the fibers to be trapped in the new skin that was slowly forming.

After the next spell, Nino had to stop. Guy's life wasn't in danger anymore; all he needed was rest, and Nino was drained. She sat back on the ground, trying to calm her thumping heart. Rath came up behind her.

"Wil left on Shyra with Heath," he murmured. Nino turned to face him. "He was able to be moved after an elixir." Nino looked at him worriedly.

""How was he, though? And Legault?" Nino refrained from saying Uncle- she knew how much it bothered the ex-Fang.

"Me and Wil got the puncture healed well enough in Heath's leg, but we're pretty sure it was broken." Nino's face twisted. "Legault is fine. Or he will be. All he needs is a little rest for that healing to sink in." Nino nodded, trying to stop herself from crying. She nodded her thanks and Rath walked away.

Blinking back her tears, Nino took a shuddering breath. _First Jaffar dies… then Legault and Heath are so badly hurt… not to mention everybody else… _she sniffed and wiped at her eyes, regaining her composure. She stood up and went back to Matthew and Guy.

"Hah…" she exhaled, feeling the healing start to soothe her.

Suddenly, the stave snapped like a brittle twig in her hands. Nino started blankly at the useless piece of wood in her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, Nino saw Matthew reach out to tangle his hand in Guy's hair. When she looked up, she saw that his expression had darkened.

The sage felt tears of frustration sting at her eyes. She let out a shrill yell, getting to her feet angrily. The seemed to warm as she kicked at a bush.

She held the anger for a few moments before letting it go. She let out a breath, wobbling a bit as she forced herself to calm down and sit. After a moment, she scanned the area for places where she could help.

She noticed Lucius trying to get some elixir down Legault's unresponsive throat and decided to help. She walked over to the bishop.

"Could I do that, actually?" Nino asked, voice wavering. Lucius looked at her appraisingly, then nodded and handed over the elixir and jogged towards Guy. Nino uncorked the blue bottle.

"Please, Uncle Legault," she whispered.

After a few minutes of this, Raven finally spoke up.

"Nino, can't you ride Hyperion?"

--

Hyperion, at best, could carry 3 light people. So Nino took Guy and Legault, who were strapped on behind her, back to the camp.

The wind rushed through her hair and cooled her sweaty skin. Her light ball floated over Hyperion's shoulder, lighting the way.

Occasionally, when the wyvern dropped in the air, or angled his wings just so, Legault's head would fall forwards onto Nino's shoulder. She loved Legault like a real uncle, so it disturbed her to see his lifeless head on her shoulder.

She loved Heath in the same way. Seeing the only two alive people that she loved hurt so badly… and such a short time after Jaffar's sacrifice for her… she was scared out of her mind.

--

Two Pegasus knights soared through the sky towards them, directly above two white-horsed knights. Thepearl colorof their mounts seemed to glow, and their riders were bathed in the pale light of the sunrise. Their rescuers seemed inhumanly beautiful.

"About time," Raven muttered darkly.

So whaddya think? It was weird and possibly annoying, as there was no headway with the plot, but I had major fun writing this.

Alright, the next chapter is a good one, and it should be out sometime later this week. And that oneshot series that I keep talking about? The first chapter is out _tomorrow. _Yes, finally. It's called **A Day for Miracles**, and the first chapter focuses on the Heath/Legault relationship, with a side of my favorite sage, Nino. So go check it out tomorrow, please!

Now then, why don't you go review?


	10. The Unimpeachable and the Condemned

Wow, you know what? I honestly believed that I'd typed this chapter already and posted it. Hmm… anyway, sorry bout the huge wait- I've been away almost all summer with only the occasional internet access… no way there was enough time to type this out and post it. Or much else, for that matter. So sorry, forgive me?

And a huge, big thanks (and virtual cookies and fresca) to all readers who have stuck with me. Enjoy the fresca as you read, k?

Heh. Anyway, here's the chapter…

--

**The Unimpeachable and the Condemned**

When they finally landed, Matthew leapt off the Pegasus and towards the healing tent without hesitation, only to crash straight in to Serra. She was standing in front of him, blocking his way resolutely.

"Serra, what the hell are you doing?" Matthew growled incredulously, trying to get past her. She just spread her arms and legs wide, stave held like a weapon, blocking his way.

"You can't go in," Serra said, glaring him down- quite a feat, as he was half a head taller. Matthew burned with anger. "We've got every single person capable of using a stave in there now. We're short on staves as it is, so we can't afford _anybody_ in there but us. It would break our concentr- _Matthew!" _He had tied to shove his way past her. She thwacked him with her stave, forcing him back. He vaguely registered how passionate Serra could be when it mattered. A furrow had formed between her bubblegum pink brows.

"Matthew. _Please_ think. We need to be healing with everything we've got. Some staves have already broken, and we're even using some traditional medicine. _Everything we've got._ Some of them have even been poisoned." Matthew's face drained of color. Serra continued firmly, "you can't risk it."

Matthew slumped and nodded. Serra gazed at him for a few moments before Erk came out of the tent to gently lead her inside.

Matthew stood there, unmoving, barely even noticing as Fiora, Isadora and Kent came up behind him bearing the rest of his 'team'.

He _did_ notice, however, when 2 men went rushing past him. Lucius was okay; he'd help with the healing. But Kent… Matthew reached out to grab the crimson knight.

Kent turned to him, looking uncharacteristically angry. Matthew locked eyes with him.

"They can't be disturbed," he said distantly. Kent looked as if he was fighting with himself before he too slumped in defeat.

"Sain is such an idiot," he muttered to himself, sitting on the ground brokenly. Matthew didn't reply, only started to pace.

"Hey Matthew," a young, weary voice sounded from behind him. The thief turned to see Nino gazing at him with red eyes.

"Hi Nino," he managed to reply.

"Guy way fine on the way over," she said quietly. She seemed to try to smile, but it came out oddly twisted.

Matthew nodded, feeling overwhelmed. "Good…" They stood for a few moments, trying to absorb everything. Then, in perfect synchronization, they collapsed onto the ground.

Nino giggled shrilly, mouth still twisted. Matthew let out a rough, sharp barking noise, feeling as if he was about to completely loose it, too. Them sitting in unison, so perfectly, had struck him as funny, too.

He let out a weird laugh, then tensed. What the hell was wrong with him? Nothing was funny at all. The woman he loved was dead. The _man_ he loved may well be.

He felt as if everything was cracking, breaking, letting in a flood of unwanted emotions. He rose sharply, heading into the forest and scaling a tree.

Images other's love barraged him. Rath and Wil hugging one another wordlessly. Hector and Lyn, hand in hand murmuring to one another. Isadora and Harken pressing against each other as they walked…

Why didn't he get anything?

He grasped the branch above him, hoisting himself higher.

Why did the ones he loved always get hurt?

He clenched his hand tighter around the branch beneath him.

_Why did he fall for the weak ones?_

That thought came as the most unwelcome of them all. He shook his head, hoping it would shake free the thought. It lingered, trailing bitterness.

"No. They're not weak." He started talking aloud, finding it made his thoughts anchor. "They're the strongest people I know. _I'm_ weak, if anything." He climbed up one more branch. "Leila was the best spy we had. She'd never betray anyone, never hesitate to do something that was right…" He felt his eyes water. He swiped at them angrily and continued speaking. "Guy has more determination than I've ever seen before. He'll try and try, never giving up. I know it."

He climbed one more branch. Now he was as high as he could go on this tree. "they're not weak. It's _not_ their fault." He looked over at the neighboring tree appraisingly before leaping to it and climbing higher, as high as he could.

His head broke the tops of the trees. The sun was rising, the orange light darkening the leaves to black. He scrutinized the blackness.

"It's Nergal," he said quietly.

Finally, the tears started to flow, dripping down his cheeks and off his chin… and this time, he didn't try to stop them.

--

Okay, there it is. Sorry about the angst abundance and everything… this story's kinda ran away from me (no pun intended… -.-). So yeah, I did loose all inspiration for this story, but I've written it all out so you will get the end. And I'm so, sooooo sorry about the age long wait… I know I promised the next chapter would be out the week after the last one (did that make any sense?) and here it is, in August… aw, sorry.

So yeah… see you all more towards September! Boy, do I have a lot to type for you guys… ;) many many new stories!

Speaking of which… would anyone be interested in beta-ing my next MattGuy fic? It's an AU… and it will be longish… It would be much appreciated! And it would be a chapter per 2 weeks from me thing.

Anyway, please, please leave a review? It takes what, 15 seconds _and_ honestly does make me write faster and better .


	11. Fracas

Hey look! Another update! Toldja I'd finish this. So… well, yeah. Thanks so much to all the reviewers, especially the ones who encouraged me to keep going with this. I went back and read it all, and I know what I need to improve next time I write a story. This is the second-to-last chapter (!), unless someone convinces me to write up an epilogue. And I'm sorry, but this is another short one with a bit of a cliffie… XD Enjoy!

**--**

**Fracas**

Ever since Guy had been wounded, Lyn had taken it upon herself to keep an eye on both him and Matthew- over the course of this war, she'd become very attached to the young, naïve and brave Sacaen and the shady Ostian almost despite herself.

The things she saw were good… Matthew was letting things out now, giving himself time to think about things. She often caught him just holding Guy and staring into the distance.

She had actually caught him crying one day, when Guy was still unconscious; his shoulders heaving and shaking like a child. Lyn just slipped away quietly, aching for him but knowing the good it would do.

Gwyneth had gotten everyone to start marching for Castle Ostia as soon as the wounded could stand to be moved. Those who could march did; the others were saddled on a horse with a friend holding them from behind. At that point, Guy had still hadn't regained consciousness. Matthew held him on their horse for a full 3 days before the boy stirred.

Lyn witnessed the moment happily. The two had talked nonstop, only pausing when Guy drifted unwillingly asleep. Over the days, she watched them cuddle atop the horse, sharing the occasional kiss and constant company. She saw them get angry together and mourn together. She witnessed Matthew acting the overprotective mother, refusing to let Guy walk anywhere- he carried the youth everywhere he needed to go.

Lyn found herself changing. She always had been more for acting than thinking and watching. But as the final battle drew nearer, she was quiet more, absorbing everything she saw, smelled, heard, felt… she stayed with Hector late in the night, talking about everything. His parents, her parents, their childhood, the plains, the castle… she learned more than she'd ever thought that she'd know about the blue-haired Lord.

She talked with Gwyneth, Florina, and Eliwood during the day, exchanging news, thoughts, even gossip, only occasionally letting the conversation stray to the war.

She savored every moment.

When they reached the Castle, Hector learned about his brother. He pushed her away for a time, and she let him (though she could often be found practicing her swordplay and punching her pillows). Through her own troubles, she noticed her favorite couple again, wondering how Matthew would cope around all the familiar faces. She winced each time she noticed someone coming up to him and offering their condolences about Leila. But he handled it well- he'd just nod and smile before seeking out Guy or a tree.

Guy was back on his feet at last. He'd had a limp, but Serra got a new Recover stave from Gwyneth and healed nearly the entire party of every little ache and pain. Guy was back to chasing after his thief-boyfriend, the two resuming their role as wake-up call. Matthew lost no time in stealing Guy's new equipment, including the Wo Dao the boy loved so much.

Lyn was amused (and stunned) to see that Guy's limp returned the next morning… and he was once more being supported by Matthew. This time around, the spy didn't look concerned in the least… more like smug, Lyn thought.

In the meantime, she worked on Hector and talked with her closest friends.

She loved them all so, so much.

--

"What!"

Gwyneth winced, but said firmly, "You _can't_ come, Matthew. I thought you know that when you refused to sign that contract."

"Bloody hell!" Matthew yelled in frustration, turning away momentarily. "I _am _coming," he said once he whipped back, "to _kill_ Nergal for what he did! You are going to bring me!"

"Matthew, you'll be killed!" she yelled back, "is that what you want!"

He snarled, "I don't have to be an _assassin_ to live."

"Oh yes you do, you idiot! Do you have any idea how powerful he is? And his morphs are better than any soldiers we've ever faced!"

"I can _do_ it!"

Gwyneth sucked in a breath, glaring up at him from under her bangs. "If you couldn't kill Sonia, what makes you think you can kill her _master?_" It was a low blow, and she knew it. She was flushed now, eyes flickering.

"_She_ didn't kill- didn't start this whole thing!"

"You're being stupid! You'll be killed if you try to fight him!"

Matthew was white with anger. He drew a breath, closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

Then he opened his eyes, seemingly calm except for how pale he still was. "Alright." He walked away from a very confused tactician.

--

Legault was in his cabin on the ship, preparing for the battle of his life. He had finally stopped pacing and started to pull on his equipment. He pulled out all his knives, scattering them all over the bedspread. Carefully, he selected the best ones he owned and sheathed them in the various hidden places all over his body. His Killing Edge and Silver Sword went to his belt. He borrowed Heath's old leather armor, wearing it under his clothes as a precaution. Here in his little cabin, he didn't need to act brave for anyone. He was scared.

His sturdiest pair of boots went on his feet. He secured his headband in place. After a moment's thought, he pulled out another strip of cloth and pulled his hair right back into a ponytail to make sure it wouldn't fall in his eyes. Spreading his arms, he checked himself over.

He sure wasn't going to die because _he_ made a mistake.

He had just chosen between his two capes and started fastening the one when Matthew slipped in. Legault arched a brow.

"Yes?" he said, now finished with the cloak.

"I need to borrow some stuff."

The brow raised higher, but Legault nodded.

"Alright."

**--**

That's that. Till next time, folks.

Oh wait, for the record, I have no idea how I roped Lyn into this so thoroughly. I don't even like her all that much, and I'm totally butchering her character.

Ah well.

Review? Makes me write faster, as we all know.


	12. Now, At Last, I Know

So now, mes belles. Nearly one year since the beginning of this story, I give you the very last chapter of _Run_. Interesting, huh? I don't know, maybe it isn't actually interesting. But I feel like it's a big deal. It was my first story, y'know?

Anyway. Tell me honestly if this feels like a totally unsatisfying ending, mkay? I wasn't too sure with ending it right here, but it felt right…

TBC in the next A/n:P **

* * *

**

Now at Last I Know

"Alright, that wasn't so bad," panted Wil, obviously exhausted. Rath stared at him.

"Er, well, maybe a bit…"

Rath smiled- exasperated, tired, and aching, but amused by Wil nonetheless. They shared a wobbly smile, clasping their hands gingerly.

_Would we both survive this?_

Rath heard Gwyneth's call from the frontlines. Wil started to go, but Rath tugged him back. "Rath, we…" he was cut off by a slow, lingering kiss from his lover.

Reluctantly, they headed toward their tactician. The rest of the army was gathered around her in various stages of exhaustion. Clearing the enemy away from the Dragon's Gate had been no easy task.

Gwyneth looked around at them all, meeting their eyes.

"Limstella's gone. Let's end this."

--

Matthew ran faster and lighter than he'd ever ran before, pushing himself until he wasn't even aware of his fatigue anymore. He had to follow fast, or he'd be left behind.

--

_Those doors, _Gwyneth paused her assessment of the situation. _Those are dangerous. Each one hiding some inhumanly strong puppet, according to Nergal. _She shook her head slowly, feeling panic clawing at her stomach.

"Okay everybody," she started her orders, voice much hoarser than it should be. She cleared her throat. "I'm splitting you up. About 2 per door. I'm betting that they won't open all at once- I've noticed how much Nergal adores his dramatics. So Once you defeat who-_what_ever's inside, you use your own judgment and go help whoever seems to be in need, okay? I'll try my best to give out orders, but let's face it- it's going to be a series of quick, intense battles…" her panic abated as she switched into Tactician Mode. Tacticians didn't panic. They just had to be smart. Logic rules all.

Right.

--

As the first door opened. Rath felt more scared than he ever had in his life… that was _his_ door. And he didn't know who or what was behind it. Completely unknown. And to top it off, he was separated from Wil- there was no way he could protect the boy now. He'd have to fend for himself… Rath felt nauseous. Wil was incredible and all, but he just wasn't _honed_ enough for stuff like this.

The door creaked insistently, reminding Rath of the job at hand. His fingers hovered indecisively- bow or sword?

Now he could see the beautiful golden morph-eyes staring out at him. _Bow, _he decided. May as well not get too close. Gripping the thing, he notched an arrow, aiming carefully at the gap.

_Wait for it. _

Wait… 

A silver arrow split the air, grazing his saddle. Without hesitation, he nudged Shyra's sides, steadied himself as she reared, and shot his countering arrow.

A _crunch-crack_ sound followed- the morph had just emerged from the door in time to get a dual hit from Rath's arrow and Shyra's hooves. It fell soundlessly, another stepping into its place, bow drawn, without missing a beat.

Rath twisted his body away from the next arrow. As he did, he saw that the chamber behind the door was now empty. _Wasn't there supposed to be an old enemy in here?_ His attention was brought sharply back to the present when an arrow came from behind and grazed his calf. He cursed- of course the enemy was behind him.

Thinking fast, Rath drew his Killing Edge and lunged at the archer that he was facing. Cool blood sprayed into his eyes, blinding him momentarily. He nudged Shyra again to rear, hoping the flailing hooves would ward away other enemies for a short while. In the meantime, he listened intently and swiveled to where the other enemy last was, swiping at his eyes with his free hand.

He heard an arrow whistle through the air and dodged it in vain- the arrow grazed his thigh. Thankfully, his vision had cleared adequately by this point- he would be dead if he was still blinded. He faced his opponent fully for the first time.

_Uhai…_ Rath hardly had time to register his shock before the morph-Uhai-shot yet another arrow at him. He managed to evade it, albeit narrowly.

And then another arrow flew from somewhere beside Rath, the silver of the tip gleaming brightly before embedding itself in Uhai's demon-mount. There was a sharp screech from the creature as is reared, throwing Uhai sharply off balance. Rath, recognizing his chance, drew back his bow for all he was worth.

When it comes back down… 

And the thing _did_ lower itself back to the ground, giving Rath a square shot at Uhai's chest. As he heard the thud of metal piercing flesh, Rath saw Uhai's face flood with colour, giving him a true semblance of life once more. A ghost of a smile, and Uhai was gone forever.

--

Wil charged past Rath, aching as he did so. His Sacaen lover was locked in a battle, and Wil had been strictly forbidden from assisting him until he took care of whatever was behind _his_ door. Which, by the way, was creaking open- even his brief hesitation to leave Rath had caused his to be late.

But there was one more thing he needed to do. Drawing his bow back tight, he aimed an arrow through the small gap in Rath's wall and directly at an ebony-black horse's flank. Blood spurted, and Wil turned to face his doorway, resolutely not thinking about Rath.

He gulped. He _had_ been late- and now 2 undead generals were closing in on him.

--

Over the course of the war, Lucius had fought to remain optimistic, even _idealistic_. He'd seen incredible evil, yes, but there was some incredible good, too. People recovered and lost, good gone bad, betrayal, and _love._

Seeing all the good people who had changed because of Nergal disturbed him, plain and simple.

Seeing all the ones using their holy, Elimine-blessed power _for_ the evil, not against it, disturbed him. But this…

He whirled, narrowly avoiding the bishop's deadly blast of pure holy power. It was the strongest Lucius had ever witnessed, and this undead _thing_ was using it.

A flash of red entered his vision. _Raymond._ With a cry, Raymond's gleaming sword slashed at the poor thing.

Snapping himself out of his trance, Lucius grasped his heavy tome, ancient words spilling out of his mouth.

"Divine," he whispered, sealing Kenneth's fate.

The light purged the darkness, and the thing that had once been Kenneth fell, crumpled, to the floor. Really and truly dead.

Ironically, this was the most alive Lucius had ever seen the man.

Gingerly, Raymond offered Lucius the tome that Kenneth had been carrying.

Lucius just stared at it. "It's so tainted," he found himself mumbling. Raymond just pressed it into his hands.

'Then re-create it," he offered, kissing Lucius's palm, before charging off to some other corner of the room.

--

That redheaded, bloodthirsty maniac was _back._

Raven had been the one to kill him the first time round. Didn't killing someone twice seem like a bit much to ask?

Not to mention that damn blunette woman who kept shooting blades of wind slicing towards him.

These two had been ambitious, even vengeful and single-minded too, hadn't they?

White filled his vision. Something warm was flowing over his right side… he couldn't feel his forearm..

And oh, Elimine… the _pain…_

He slashed blindly, stumbling…

He only prayed that he wouldn't end up like these two.

--

Legault quickly wiped the cool, viscous blood of the latest Morph off his face. Heath, he knew, was behind him doing the same.

The battlefield was clearing up. Only a few doors left…

He turned his head to follow a flash of green. His eyes widened.

It was Nino… and she was fighting two eerily familiar sword fighters…

"No," Legault whispered hoarsely. "NO!!"

Not them. They were _good._

Nergal.

Was.

Going.

To.

DIE.

--

"Brothers!" Nino cried, choking with tears. "Lloyd! Linus!!"

Blank eyes gazed back at her, coming closer… closer…

_WAY WAY WAY TOO CLOSE!_ Nino's mind yelled at her. Kicking into gear, Nino sidestepped and ducked, chanting the words to invoke _Fimbulvetr_ as she went. She stood and yelled its name at the top of her lungs.

"_FIMBULVETR!"_ she sobbed, choking up the end, but the spell was effective. Linus froze solid, remaining to glimmer darkly for a few moments before shattering into shards of ice on the ground.

--

The fifth knife buried itself in Lloyd- _It's- _chest. L-It staggered back from the blow, dead blood dripping from the wounds.

The lilac haired one, the one with the knives, was crying.

"Lloyd," he called softly, "Lloyd…"

It lunged forwards even as the quintessence left its body. It was a sluggish movement, but it's opponent wasn't dodging.

_Crunch._

It's sword clattered to the ground. It looked down.

There was a hole in its chest.

"Ahh…" Lloyd sighed. At last. He felt like singing. As he fell to the ground, he saw his dear Legault's face swimming before him. Lloyd smiled, just for him.

Legault spoke, his words trailing after Lloyd into death. "Seems like I'm never going to escape being the Cleaner, eh?"

--

The wall had shifted, Guy realized. Not just a door, but a wall…

_Nergal._

Guy was behind the rest; he knew he couldn't get there first. But he sure as hell was going to get his shot at this fiend…

He rushed forwards, drawing the cold regal Blade in place of his Killing Edge.

He saw the morphs guarding Nergal fall, one by one, and…

He was there.

Immediately, a shadow as big as a coffin flew at him. He shifted to the side, and it missed, dissipating once it was past him.

He leveled his blade and slashed in an arc, bringing his sword up and above Nergal before slamming it downward towards his head. The Dark Druid warped out of the way, seeming amused.

"So, let's see… ah! You would be Guy, wouldn't you?" he said slyly. Guy tried to tune him out, this time guiding his blade in a complicated reverse-figure eight motion. Nergal warped. Dimly, Guy registered Gwyneth's voice shouting orders. He didn't have time to ponder her unusual presence at the frontlines, however, for another shadow was hurtling towards him.

He wouldn't have time to dodge this one… he tried anyway, stepping desperately to one side…

"Aureola!" a deep, weathered voice boomed. Rays of light formed into a net, catching the shadows and preventing them from reaching Guy.

"No!" Nergal snapped, sending another shadow at Guy.

This one whammed him full in the chest. The air was knocked clear out of his lungs, and he collapsed to the floor, retching dryly.

_That… is the worst feeling…_ Guy thought as he curled around himself, trying instinctively to shield himself from the pain.

Someone was at his side, though… Lucius. Guy felt the soothing light wash over him and slowly uncurled.

"Thanks," he hacked out at Lucius, still wheezing. Lucius smiled. Quickly, the two got to their feet, just in time to see a shadow fully engulf the Archsage.

"No!" he heard the Lords yell.

The Archsage crumpled, but sent one last spell towards his old friend.

The web of light was back, except this time, Guy realized in awe, it was going to _crush_ Nergal. The net enclosed the man, squeezing against his skin, leaving angry red welts being. Guy saw him stagger.

_This_ was his chance.

He readied his sword, charging once more.

And then everything happened very, _very _fast.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

3 daggers embedded into that inhuman, shadow-consumed chest.

Guy plunged his sword through Nergal's stomach as a blast of ice encased the heartless man.

An axe hit the ice-encased figure and shattered it into a million pieces.

Guy thought he heard an echo of last words, but he didn't care. Nergal was gone.

Nino stepped up behind him. "So who got him?" she said would-be casually, if not for the note of rage in her voice.

Good question. Guy had no idea. "Er…"

Matthew stepped out of the shadows, twirling a dagger. "Wanna call it even?" he said dryly.

Guy couldn't even bring himself to be surprised. Instead, he leaned on Matthew and shut his eyes. As Matthew's arms encircled him, Guy heard Hector start to boast about how it was _his_ kill; he'd been the one to delivered the "final blow". Eliwood shushed him quickly, though. Guy sighed. Now yells filled the air…

Gwyneth was screaming, actually. At Matthew. Wil was yelling at Nergal's remains, with Rath trying to calm him from behind. Raven was yelling in pain as Lucius applied elixir to the stump that was once his right hand, Lucius yelling at everything as he cried for his redheaded everything.

Lyn and Hector cried over Athos's dead body. Legault, heath, and Nino were all in a grimly silent cluster. Erk was biting back his own cries as Serra examined his wound.

Guy gulped, closing his eyes once more and clutching Matthew tighter.

Something was missing from his surveying, though… where were Lord Eliwood and Gwyneth?

--

Eliwood was beside Nergal's remains, kneeling. Words were echoing through the air there, as if Nergal had left a curse on them. And something told Eliwood that those words were key.

They hadn't won yet, had they?

Eliwood's eyes widened, grabbing at Gwyneth beside him as the ground began to quake. As the ground shook, the yelling escalated. Chunks of stone fell from the ceiling, showering them all in destruction.

--

Guy half-groaned, half whimpered. Matthew just smirked. He had to be strong, for Guy.

"Come now, love, you're not allowed to get tired on me!" he chirped. A mangled roar nearly deafened them both.

"I'm not tired…" Guy replied as soon as the unearthly noise stopped. Stepping away from Matthew, he squared his shoulders and turned to face the latest menace. "We got Nergal. No way I'm going to let that go to waste!"

"Yeah," agreed Matthew slowly. That fact hadn't had enough time to sink in yet. He knew it'd strike him later, with all its profound meaning. But right now… he cleared his throat. "And that means we can't die yet, mmkay?" He tugged at Guy's braid sharply before sprinting towards the source of all this chaos.

"Bloody thief…" Guy grumbled, glaring after him fondly. With a groan, he forced his tired muscles into a sprint.

"MATTHEW!"

* * *

So there we have it. That's it. Finite. Fin… ah whatever. You get the point.

I'm considering doing followup stories on a few of the characters… but it would be a slow progress. So yeah… thanks so much for reading, I love you all!!

-Umeko… or Nariko.Hoshi!!


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